The Prince and Chinese Maze Murders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Prince and Chinese Maze Murders - Essay Example In those days Italy was a world leader in arts and culture, and new ideas were being produced all the time. The setting of the Maze Murders, on the other hand, is a provincial backwater, where a fatalistic view of the world prevails, and few people aspire to learning. Italy is a forward-looking state, while China rests on an ancient tradition and seems more backward looking than innovative. Because of this cultural difference, the Italian society of Machiavelli is by far the preferable one to live in. Machiavelli describes a state where the ruler is expected to keep people in check through his superior wealth, and particularly through his power to threaten and carry out military action against anyone who rises up against the establishment. He seems to suggest that it is best when a great deal of power is concentrated in this one person, and advises the prince that â€Å"flatterers must be shunned† (Machiavelli 75) and that it is not good to listen to the advice of lots of diff erent people. This creates a despotic leader, and so long as the leader’s character is good, things can go well in the state, but as soon as a leader grows arrogant or resentful, there can be very extreme consequences for the whole state. He does encourage the ruler to be generous, to keep his word, and to be merciful, within reason, but at the same time he advises the ruler that it is better to be feared than to be loved. The philosophy behind Machiavelli’s kind of state is a kind of cult of the personality, making the ruler the best possible individual and worthy of the loyalty of his people. The existence of the book implies at the same time that there will be at least one trusted advisor who will advise on strategy and act as source of information for the ruler. Ambition is seen as a great quality, and the prince is encouraged to master the art of war, and to learn how to judge the strengths and weaknesses of potential enemies, in order to maintain a stable and pea ceful realm. Machiavelli urges the prince to remain watchful saying that a wise prince â€Å"must never take things easy in times of peace† (Van Gulik 49) suggesting that mental and physical training are the way for him to keep a step ahead of any potential enemies. In a way the cultivation of warlike qualities is presented as a kind of protective aura, much as nowadays the existence of nuclear weapons prevents full scale international war. In Van Gulik’s vast landscape of China, on the other hand, authority seems far more diffuse and arbitrary. The role of the magistrate is supposed to be an official duty carried out with great seriousness, and there is supposed to be an official tribunal building and staff in every city to ensure that law and order are maintained. It is evident from the situation in Lan-fang that the previous magistrate has been less than efficient before the new magistrate Dee arrives. Dee even stamps his foot in annoyance and shouts â€Å"Where ar e the guards, where are the constables? Where are the scribes, where are the clerks, where is everybody in this accursed tribunal† (Van Gulik 19). In the postscript to the novel, Van Gulik explains the temporary nature of the magistrate appointment, and he hints at the reason for this when he explains that the lieutenants are not allowed to investigate crimes because of their tendency to be influenced by private considerations, and

Critical appraisal of the growing dominance of Dell in the marketplace Research Proposal

Critical appraisal of the growing dominance of Dell in the marketplace - Research Proposal Example The importance of engineering principles will be extensively covered as well as legal and ethical issues associated with conducting business online. In section two, we will critically appraise the business models used by Dell, identifying their sources of competitive advantage. The technology used to facilitate their success will also be addressed. Dell is the largest merchant in selling all types of computer sizes and understand the customer well. It has a great website and the critical appraisal of the website is done for fetching the business model and knowing the sue experience. Besides buying products, Dell allows users to search for products, technical support, articles and solutions, read reviews/ content of the investor relations and corporate governance, recommendations /personalized services. It also provides its customers with online tutorials and order tracking. Users can interact with the technicians via chat services with technicians. Dell also provides intensive support services. Dell was an early and enthusiastic convert to the Internet, creating its first web site in 1994 and moving many of its business activities to the Internet ahead of its competitors. (Kraemer & Dedrick, 2001) The company witnessed that its direct model gave it a lead in selling online. Unlike indirect vendors such as Apple, IBM, HP and Compaq, Dell did not have to worry about channel conflict with resellers and distributors when it began selling online. It operates in business to consumer model (B2C). Describe Revenue Model Dell represents a new breed of retailers; changing the way business is conducted online with their business to consumer model (B2C.) It is a virtual reseller, one of the main new intermediaries (Sarkar et al, 1996.) They are an electronic-commerce only intermediary; business and customer relationship management (CRM) is conducted purely via their website. Describe Marketing Mode Dell's marketing is done through their site itself. They also resort various other forms of marketing like e-banners and web advertisement in social bookmarking websites. Analysis of Co. Web Site Usability Dell's homepage provides the user with an overview of their whole site, most importantly it speaks about all the products it sells, which is vitally important as (Nielsen, 2002) explains "The homepage is your company's face to the world." User friendliness Dell use standard blue hyperlinks, mouse over navigation, browse box, graphics and a search input box to help users interactively navigate the site, which is very user

Case analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Case analysis - Essay Example At the time when HAG was issuing the bond, it had already diversified its business into mining coal. In terms of geography, most of HAG’s businesses were located in Vietnam. HAG, a renowned real estate company in Vietnam, was going to issue approximately ninety million US dollars of the nine point eight-five notes, which were the debt instruments, in Singapore in the year 2011. After deductions of all the estimated expenses that were payable, the company estimation of the net proceeds from this offering to be around eighty point seven million US dollars. From this perspective, the issue of notes led to several questions arising including the overall cost of the debt. In addition, the reasons HAG chose to raise money in a foreign country, Singapore, and not in its country, Vietnam. All these were to give answers to the costs at which HAG was borrowing the note issue in Singapore, the level at which it was borrowing and whether there was a likelihood of HAG being downgraded from its current rating position of B (Richard Ivey School of Business, 2013). Since it is difficult to obtain real figures on the bank loans proportions to the sector of construction and the real estate business in Vietnam, the government should issue strong regulations. These should be made to preventing the country from deepening further into inflation. High inflation rates in the country will force companies to issue notes in foreign countries. The regulation through limitation of the growth of Credit is important more so in the real estate business to help in putting inflation into check. The growth of credit can be controlled through the reduction of the amount as well as the pace of loan issuance to the sectors that are non-productive. Among the significant risk factors that affect the issuance of notes is the company’s cash flow volatility in Vietnam. In addition, the overall outlook of the

Plantation Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Plantation Economy - Essay Example (West and Augelli, 1999) The history of Central America is linked with the growth and development of the plantation economy. When the colonialists reached the land, they found enabling climate and they set of establishing plantations to create what came to be known as the sugar kingdom in the history of America. The economy of the region is large reliant on Agriculture. There is production of cash crop like coffee, bananas, sugarcane and cotton which is produced through large holding and most of the products is exported to the Northern American and to Europe. However there is also the growth of subsistence crops like corns, beans, bananas, mains, rice and pulley. In the drier regions there is the production of beef cattle. The large holdings most employee modern farming while the subsistence farmers still use the simple farming techniques that have been in use for along time now. (Wrigley, 1999) Plantation farming has been practiced in the region since the settlement of colonialists in the region. However the region still lags behind in economic development despite producing agricultural products to the world. Has the plantation economy helped the region develop economically or has it helped the investors in the large holdings' This paper represents a well arranged and researched inquisitive essay on the impact of large holding farming in the region. The first part will look at the historical development of the large scale farming over the time and how it has developed in the region. Then it will look at the impact this has been making on the economy of the region and at the end it will look at the present economic situation of these countries so as to make a conclusion of there the plantation economy has been of use to the region of if it has not helped the region. In the conclusion it will look the problem that the region has been facing and what can be done on the situation. Development of plantation economy in the region The historical development of plantation economy in the region dates back when the Spanish colonization was started. With the arrival of Spanish and other colonialist in the region, there was increased development of agrarian economy which was favored by the Amazon climate that extends to the region. When the Spanish came, they immediately stated planting bananas in large plantation around 1860s and by 1870 there was increased growth of banana in the region. Most of the plantations in the region were started along the railway lines which were by then expanding northward to America. When an American entrepreneur was commissioned by the Costa Rica government to build a transition railroad, he started growing bananas along the railway road and immediately began exporting them to United States. Keith was highly successful in the venture and he embarked on the same plantation economic along all other major railway roads that he built. He was able to acquire large tracks of undeveloped la nd and in the process expanded the development of banana plantation to Guatemala and Hondura. In 1869 he merged with Boston Fruit Company and formed the United Fruit Company which rapidly expanded to Central America and by 1955 the company had over 400,000 hectares under production of bananas. (Ferguson, 1998; Mahar and Schneider, 1994) As the colonialists settled there was

Consumer Price Index, Retail Price index and GDP deflator Essay

Consumer Price Index, Retail Price index and GDP deflator - Essay Example Retail Price Index (RPI) refers to an economic principle used by economists to determine the set of goods and services that a typical household is capable of buying every month (Feenstra, 2002, p. 7). Items covered by this principle include food, housing, heating, petrol and bus fares. According to Grant and Vidler (2000, p. 14), Gross Domestic Product deflator (GDP deflator) is a principle in economics used to measure average prices of all new and final products produced locally in the economy of a given country. The GDP deflator is a crucial economic tool used by leading economists in an economy to determine by what extent a change in the GDP of a given year relied on the price fluctuations of locally produced goods and services (Tracy 2007, p. 21). When regarded collectively, the principles of Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Retail Price Index (RPI) can help in controlling inflation in given products in an economy. For example, the two principles can help a government to determine and fix prices of certain basic goods like food and

Search and Seizure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Search and Seizure - Essay Example Searches and seizures are used to produce evidence for the prosecution of alleged criminals. The police have the power to search and seize, but individuals are protected against  Arbitrary, unreasonable police intrusions.† (http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com, 2011) The provisions under the search and seizure law are not uniform across countries. For example, some countries allow citizens the right to be free from what they deem to be â€Å"unreasonable search and seizure†. Often this right is derived from broader rights to individual privacy. In most cases of ‘search and seizure’, the police officers are required to possess a valid search warrant before they commence their operations. In the United States law, the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution states â€Å"the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and Warrants shall not be issued, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.† (http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com, 2011) This amendment is rather brief, leaving jurors to bank upon precedence and previous rulings on similar cases to ascertain legality of a contested ‘Search and Seizure’ operation. Not only is the amendment brief, but it is also subjective and vague at places, leaving juries to read situations based on the spirit of the law as opposed to its actual stipulation. Moreover, although consent must be voluntary and essential before the procedure begins, there are no clear-cut tests through which it is obtained. As a result, the court will consider the ‘totality of circumstances’ in deciding if the consent was voluntary. The urgency of a particular case is also important, as it will help ascertain whether police officers could have afforded to waste time b efore the evidence gets hidden or disposed off by the suspect. It is a reflection of lack of comprehensiveness of the Fourth Amendment that such phrases as â€Å"reasonable expectation of privacy†, â€Å"exigent circumstances†, â€Å"probable cause†, etc are used in court trials and during ‘search and seizure’ procedures. (Amsterdam, 1974, p.350) In the context of the United States, most ‘Search and Seizure’ operations occur as a way of checking illegal trafficking of drugs or suspicious transfer of huge sums of money. In the post 911 scenario, ‘search and seizure’ procedures are employed as a way of gathering intelligence to prevent possible attacks. For example, in a hypothetical scenario, the police may have been tipped about an impending terror attack, wherein the bombs are ticking and are hidden in a vehicle. In this case, it would be imprudent to consider the privacy rights and property rights of the owner of the car before locating and disposing of the bombs. Another common scenario where Search and Seizure procedure is carried out is to catch tax-evasion. The police, on a tip-off from the IRS, proceed to conduct a surprise raid on the premises of the suspected tax-evader, so that they could get hold of crucial evidence that stands contrary to the stated claims in tax returns. ‘Search and Seizure’ procedures come in conflict with rights to privacy and also rights to property. Hence, as a way of priming citizens toward this law, law

Death penalty and its affects on the economy Research Paper

Death penalty and its affects on the economy - Research Paper Example The question arises if the death penalty is worth-applying if its efficiency is so doubtful and, moreover, it is considered to be unethical. It is essential to think over the issue as the government of several states still spends much budget facilities on the not well-grounded and unreasonable killing. We should not forget that in some cases capital punishment is applied to innocent people. This fact again reminds that capital punishment is unethical and ungrounded. The given paper will try to answer this question and define how much death penalty costs our government and if it would be more rational to direct this finances on the programs, which are proved to be efficient in crime prevention (Gaie, 2004). The analysis of the current state of the United States’ police brings upsetting results. The facts testify that in the current conditions of crisis the state is forced to fire many policemen, to release prisoners before the appointed time. And if to add the overfull courts, we will have the full picture of the current situation: the crime is rising rapidly. The state of criminal justice system was shaken due to the economic crisis the country is currently going through. The recession influenced every state differently: in Georgia the state had to fire around 1000 of police employees and in New Jersey 500 policemen remained without job. In Texas rearrests are frequent as prisoners can’t be kept for long. In Florida more than 3000 prisoners were released before the appointed time. Some of these states, and they are Texas, Florida and Georgia, spend too much money on death penalty without any positive result. â€Å"Over two-thirds of the states and the federal government have installed an exorbitantly expensive system of capital punishment which has been a failure by any measure of effectiveness. Literally hundreds of millions of dollars have already been spent on a response to crime which is calculated to be carried out on a few people each year and which has done nothing to stem the rise in violent crime† (Dieter). It is obvious that the high and ungrounded cost of death penalty makes the United States of America less safe as the financial facilities spent on death penalty are taken from the programs, the effectiveness of which are proved. For instance, in California the government does not have enough facilities to organize appropriate and needed policing, while it still spends much money on death penalty. Texas that is famous for the quantity of capital punishment cases, spend more than $2 million per case! It is no need to say that Texas is famous not only for the high number of death penalty cases, but also for its high murder rate. â€Å"The death penalty is escaping the decisive cost-benefit analysis to which every other program is being put in times of austerity. Rather than being posed as a single, but costly, alternative in a spectrum of approaches to crime, the death penalty operates at the extremes of pol itical rhetoric. Candidates use the death penalty as a facile solution to crime which allows them to distinguish themselves by the toughness of their position rather than its effectiveness† (Dieter). The capital punishment appears to be much more expensive that life imprisonment. First of all, the expenses on capital trials are very high as well as all the pre-trial procedures like professional witness research and the selection of jury cost much.