The International Space Station Essay -- Science Space Exploration

The International Space Station is the doorway to the future of mankind and the world as it is known. The scientific and medical discoveries that will be made on the station could create billions of dollars annually. A plan like this, arranged to benefit the whole world economy, should sound like a good idea to every person, but some believe that the ISS is too risky, too ineffective, or too costly to create. Whether or not the space station is worth the money, time, and effort, one thing is clear, everyone is interested in this virtual floating laboratory and what assets or liabilities it will bring. The future of scientific experimentation and exploration may be located, not on earth, but on the man made island called the International Space Station. Of all the factors that go into building a space station, construction of the massive object is the most tedious objective. During the building of the ISS, tensions have run high several times when deadlines were missed or funds were not available. This space station is the most expansive mission the world has ever encountered. The International Space Station will be a fifteen country mission. When finished, it will boast over an acre of solar panels for heating and energy, have a volume roughly sizable to two jumbo jets, and contain four times the electrical power of the Russian space station, Mir. It will take approximately forty-five flights over the next five years to assemble the one hundred pieces of the station while circling the orbit of the earth (Goldin 11). This floating station, the size of a large football stadium, which is traveling at over 17,500 miles per hour around the earth, will have a minimum life expectancy of only ten years, although scientists hope for a muc... ... to tell anyone the outcome of the experiments on the International Space Station. It is a complex machine that may create fantastic results or become a large waste of time and effort, but until the world tries, it will never know which might be the most disappointing thing of all. For now, all anyone has is hope for a brighter future, and the chance that the International Space Station may bring them a step closer to that reality. â€Å"The orbiting laboratory serves as a symbol of our future. A future that embodies the dreams of our children and that promises untold discoveries for the next millennium. One that fulfills our innate human nature to explore. And one that benefits all people of all nations.† (Goldin 11) The International Space Station is the beginning. It is the beginning of a world that is working towards a better understanding of everything around it.

Discuss the Economic Advantages and Disadvantages to the Uk of Participation in the

Discuss the economic advantages and disadvantages to the UK of participation in the European single currency (Euro). Will British businesses be better or worse off if the country decides to participate? Introduction of Euro in the world’s monetary union is a milestone. Eleven countries were going to create EMU at the beginning, now there is a long queue to join in EMU. Most of the EMU members get more advantage then disadvantage to join in Euro. Euro creates a large market in the Eurozone. Three core members of EU (Great Britain, Sweden and Denmark) still not participate in European single currency. Many European countries are very excited to join in EU, some of them decided to implement European rate mechanism- 2 (ERM-2). If Britain accept euro then the country poses both advantage and disadvantage. Productivity and living standard will increase if Britain joins in Euro. If they will not join, they have chance to fall further behind. European Union European Union is the union of twenty-seven countries. Most of the members of European Union come to join in EU from European Continent. The origin of European Union associated with foundation of European coal and steel community. Treaties of Rome or Schuman declaration formed European Economic Commission. Both these bodies are essential parts of European Union. Rome treaty signed in 1957 for creating European Economic Community (EEC). Belgium, France, Netherlands, Luxemburg, West Germany and Italy are the core six members of EEC. During that period, West Germany and Netherlands built nexus among them by the help of European Steel and Coal Community. Among the six countries of EEC, they allowed free movement of labour and capital. Free trade also allowed. They abolished internal tariffs among them and set external tariffs. In enlargement stage, UK, Denmark and Ireland become member of EEC. Greece, Spain and Portugal joined in EEC in 1981 and 1986 respectively. After this enlargement stage, the commission president Jacquas Delors signed single European act. In 1992, the Maastricht treaty signed to establish European Union. According to Sloman and Sutcliffe (2004, p. 563) â€Å"May 2004 marks the latest expansion, with 10 new members joining. These are Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Solvakia and Solvenia†. European single currency: Euro is the single currency among the countries that include in European Union. Other countries also adopt the single currencies. In 1932, the chairman of German Bank Hans F? rstenberg gave the idea about European currency to set up European central bank. The idea came about euro currency among the countries before Second World War. Idea of European integration became stronger after Second World War. Some sequential incidents happen after the war. In 1950, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSE) established, Rome treaty signed in 1957 and at the same time, European Economic Community formed. Rome treaty and Economic Community both made the path for euro to lunch. European monetary system established for full monetary support in 1979. According to Solman and Sutcliffe (2004, p. 741) â€Å"Details of the path towards EMU were finalised in the Maastricht treaty, which was signed in February 1992. The timetable for EMU involved adaptation of a single currency by 1999 at the latest†. Therefore, Maastricht treaty made the path for euro easier. Before joining the euro currency, each country fulfilled five criteria, which set by the European central Bank. The eleven members of EU out of fifteen could fulfil the criteria and joined in Euro. Sweden and Greece could not fulfil the criteria. Later 2001, Greece joined in Euro. Euro came in to the market on 1 January of 1999 but the bank note and coin were introduced 2002. National currency of the European countries withdrawn from market due to introduce euro notes and coin. Road to EMU European Monetary Union proposed by Delors committee report. The road to EMU described in three phases. Phase 1: Remove the entire trade barrier in internal market including capital controls among the countries. Enhanced coordination from different countries in the economic and monetary policy. Phase 2: European Monetary Institute (EMI) established. EMI monitored macroeconomic convergence of members according to Maastricht treaty. In that stage, commission prepared logistic and organisation framework for ECB. Phase 3: In that stage, Union fixed the exchange rate, euro introduced as a single currency. European Monetary Institute replaced by establishment of European Central Bank. Advantage of Single Currency Several advantages deserves, if one country join in to the single currency such as eliminating transaction cost, avoid exchange rate uncertainty, increase transparency of price, increase credibility of monetary union. All the member of European Union gets equal opportunity and benefits. The countries get benefit in the case of converting currencies. Every European Countries have separate currency. When anyone converting the currency of any European country in to another European country’s currency then the converting cost added each time. If we used single currency, we can easily minimize the converting cost. According to Solman and Sutcliffe (2004, p. 742) â€Å"the European commission estimated that the effect was to increase the GDP of the countries concerned by an average of only 0. 4 percent†. United state of America whose have 51 states with one single currency. They get benefit of single currency in their market. Euro currency gives the chance to European country to make a large single market. Pricing difference increased in market if we cannot use single currency. Pricing depends on rate of currencies. Therefore, we get same product in different price due to different rate of different currencies. Single currency increased the transparency of product price. Invest increased in euro zone because there is one single currency available. According to Solman and Sutcliffe (2004, p. 42) â€Å"investment from the rest of the world is attracted to a euro zone of over 300 million inhabitants, where there is no fear of internal currency movements†. Travel becomes easier due to euro. There is no hassle in converting currencies. No time waste during travel due to single currency which used in everywhere in euro zone. According to Solman and Sutcliffe (2004, p. 743) â€Å"A single monetary policy convergence in inflation rates. Provided the ECB succeeds in remaining independent from short-term political manipulation, this is likely to result in a lower average inflation rate in the eurozone countries†. Therefore, the single currency helps lower inflation rate in eurozone. Abolish the market barrier is another advantage in eurozone. Abolishment of trade barrier helps to maximise profit and increase market size. In eurozone, there is no market barrier among the members and they can easily market their product in eurozone. Disadvantage of Single Currency The European Union brings lot of advantage to members. Some are argue that it also brings some disadvantages. When euro introduce, EMU members have to invest huge amount of money to change payroll, pricelist, database, software and so on. It is an investment cost, which arises due to lunch euro. Previous coins and banks note removed from the market, cost of previous coins and notes also include in investment cost. Some of the countries change their trade patters due to introduce euro. If the country accepted euro as a single currency then the country cannot accept separate national monetary policy. Only European Central Bank can conduct monetary policy in Europe. Most of the people take seriously the issue that we lose our independence in policy making. According to Solman and Sutcliffe (2004, p. 43) â€Å"Another problem for members of a single currency occurs in adjusting to a shock when that shock affects members to different degrees. These are known as asymmetric shocks†. In case of asymmetric shocks no European countries have no right to utilize national monetary policy survey, they should try to find out another option for fighting against asymmetric shocks. Single currency also effect in country’s independency. Local government faced problem when they lose the independency. Single currency increased the lost of human capital, because capital moved freely in eurozone. Skilled worked and specialist will try to look for better jobs and wages in other countries. It means that skilled full worked migrate to east to west to take advantages of higher benefits and wages. Economic advantages for UK to participate in the single currency: It is become a big issue whether Britain join or not join in Euro. Every decision has some advantage and disadvantage. Joining Britain in single currency has some economic advantage and disadvantage. Country’s people and government of Britain are collecting information to make their mind about entry in to the single currency zone. Increase income & living of Standard: In 1956, France and Germany had overtaken of Britain position in living of standard, because France and Germany decided to join European common market. Then in 1973, Britain joined in ECM and stopped their declining situation. European countries are making a united market by the help of single currency. These single currencies help European countries to increase their income and living of standard. If Britain not joins, they fall behind. Problems in Exchange rate: before lunching euro, Germany faced exchange rate risk if they sold their products in Britain, Italy or any European countries. After lunching euro, they have no risk because they (European countries) used euro as a single currency but Britain still have the same risk. Eliminating exchange rate fluctuations and increase the price transparency then we can reduce the investment risk- and the total process required a single currency. Therefore, by the help of euro, Britain can easily reduce the investment risk. Large single market: we can easily make a large single market in Europe. This large single market arise more competition and increase trade. All European counties got the benefits of single market so why not Britain? Britain medium size country, which is dependent on international trade so, separate currency become a disadvantage for Britain even they cannot neglect the exchange rate like as US. In single market, producers are going to reach more customers simultaneously customers can easily get the product from wide range of suppliers. Economic disadvantage of UK participating in the single currency UK still not participates in Euro due to same obstacles. Government of UK takes their time to analyse and understanding their position. UK takes several problems with great concern. Same interest rate: In the eurozone, every country has some interest rate, which selected by the European central bank. Britain thinks that European central bank set their interest for whole Europe not for Britain. However, Britain thinks that, one interest rate is not suitable for different countries for every times- it means that one size does not fit all. Britain will cut down their interest rate if they faced in negative shock (asymmetric shock). Britain can easily cut down their interest rate because hey still not participate in euro and they have own independent budgetary policy. This budgetary policy can easily used to minimize the shock and stabilize the economy. According to Sloman and Sutcliffe (2004, p. 745) â€Å"in the UK, a large proportion of borrowings is at variables interest rates. In Germany, by contrast, much is at fixed rates. Thus if the ECB were to raise interest rates, the deflationary effects would be felt dispro portionately in the UK†. So, it is true that, the interest rate which is select for eurozone creates different impacts on each country. Unemployment rate: different unemployment rate going through among European countries. Over 8% unemployment rate in France, Germany, Italy. Where as Austria, Ireland, Sweden have only 4% unemployment rate but Britain have below 4%. Increasing the unemployment rate in eurozone is not mistake of European Union. This mistake creates by different national policy among different countries. Minimum wage rate is high in UK than any other countries of Eurozone, so skilled full manpower come here to work and UK faces unemployment problems. Britain think joining euro is like that joins in exchange rate mechanism. They think, ERM was fixed exchange rate system in Europe. This mechanism helps us in exchange our currency not more than that. In case of British Business: The positive effect and negative effect of Euro may be different from country to country. It is very tough for us to identify all of the effect. In the Eurozone, each country has different financial system and euro make some positive and negative effect on their business. In the below, we describe about UK’s business condition if they join in euro. Positive Side Giant euro firm will create with substantial economic power due to free movements of capital. Many European company is merger recently. British business can easily get benefits to join euro and merge with other company in European continent to maximize profit. If UK joins in Euro, the inward investment will increase. According to Sloman and Sutclifffe (2004, p. 742) â€Å"from 1990 to 1999, the UK’s share of inward investment to the EU was nearly 40 percent. From 1999 to 2002, it was 24 percent†. So, inward investment diverted to eurozone from UK. Britain thinks that if they join in euro, then European Union passed law which affecting Britain. Then, they have no power of influence over European countries. Britain ideas is totally wrong because Britain still not participate in Euro and European Union gives no more emphasize (showed any honour) on Britain. It is better for Britain that joins in euro and influence European Union as well as outside Europe. Britain can easily organise regular meeting among European countries and represent the European central bank. This way, help Britain to influence over European business cycle. Negative Side Most serious issue is that, the British currency continues to fluctuate against the Euro. It is real disadvantage for business. Suppose a firm produces machine in Britain and sells them in France. Company pay wages in pounds, the goods become expansive to the consumer among eurozone if the pounds become expansive. Therefore, the firm cannot sells as much as they expected, even they accepts a lower profit margin. The firm go to bankrupt situation due to firm’s profit fall. It is a example of business risk. Separate currency increase the business risk for any company. Most of the company faced this type of business risk because Britain still not participates in single currency. British businesses are going to worse situation due to absence of single currency. London city is the largest financial centre. More people worked in London in financial services than Frankfurt, Europe’s next largest centre. We know that finance is a footloose industry and London is a city of mergers and acquisition, or foreign exchange trading. London city enjoys a success cycle by self-reinforcing. The cycle of the success will be broken due to absence from the Euro. Conclusion European Union tries to establish a eurozone. Many European countries showed interest to join in EU but we cannot still predict how benefit it for member of EU. Britain still not participate in Eurozone, it is true single currency can boosted the economy but in Britain value of pound still strong against dollar and other currencies of the world. Higher value of pound is an advantage of Britain to attract a lot of foreign investor. Some economist suggested that Britain should join in Euro due to falling rate of pounds but euro cannot make any advantage of UK economy. Same monetary policy applied in eurozone which create more controversy. It is true that a single monetary policy is inappropriate to deal with asymmetric shocks. To join euro means loss of independency in policy making another way we can say that loss sovereignty of a country. References: Sloman J & Sutcliffe M (2004). Economics for Business, 3rd edn, NJ: Pearson Education McAleese D (1997). Economics for Business, Harlow: Prentice Hall http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Euro http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/European_union http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Pounds http://www. google. co. uk/

Comparison of the Death Penalty: China vs United States Essay

The United States of America is one of the few countries that still impose death sentences regularly. The People’s Republic of China is also one of these countries. Both are similar in that they are among the top executing countries in the world. Yet they differ in many ways such as, types of crimes that are death penalty eligible, the number of people that are executed, trial processes, and methods of execution. I consider these to be the biggest differences between The People’s Republic of China and the United States of America. One of the most shocking things I came across when researching was the wide range of crimes punishable by death in China. The most shocking of which, is those of non-violent nature. A type of non-violent crime that is routinely charged as a capital crime is economic or â€Å"white-collar† crimes. In China’s Criminal Law, there are specific instances where economic crimes can be charged as capital crimes. In the article, â€Å"On Limiting and Abolishing the Death Penalty for Economic Crimes in China†, the author Bingzhi Zhao wrote, â€Å"it is normally specified in China’s Criminal Law that the death penalty is only applicable when the crime is ‘of a particularly enormous amount’ or ‘of a particularly severe nature’†1. A â€Å"particularly enormous amount† or â€Å"of a particularly sever nature† refers to the amount of money stolen or number of people â€Å"hurt† by the crime. What I consider to be a great parallel would be Bernie Madoff, who stole billions from investors and was sentences to 150 years in jail, which is the maximum sentence he could receive2. This leads me to believe if Bernie Madoff lived in China, he would’ve been executed. Although his crimes were particularly extreme in the amount of money he stole, he was not violent in any way shape or form. In America this simply has not happened in the last century. It is my personal belief that crimes other than murder shouldn’t be capital crimes, but I think it is plain wrong for a â€Å"white-collar† crime to be charged as a capital crime. There are even accounts of drug dealers and people who fund-raise illegal3. I personally know somebody arrested for dealing drugs, if he received a death sentence for his crime, it would be completely and utterly shocking. It is my belief that a non-violent crime shouldn’t be punished in a violent way. The People’s Republic of China use of capital punishment is shrouded in secrecy. In an article in the Washington Post, the author(s) writes, â€Å"The Chinese government has a long-standing policy of not commenting on the death penalty and keeps the number of executions secret†3. This rings true because it is impossible to find a true figure for executions in China. All figures that can be found are estimates. The Dui Hua Foundation estimates that China carried out 5,000 to 6,000 executions in the year 20073, while Amnesty International estimates there were at least 1,718 known executions in 2008 and also states that there are likely many more4. Amnesty International also states that in 2008 the United States of America executed a total of 37 people4. Using Amnesty International’s figures this means that the People’s Republic of China executed more than forty-six times more people than America. With populations of 1. 3 billion and 310 million (estimates), respectively, China executed at least 1 out of every 750,000, and the United States of America executed about 1 out of every 8,375,000 people. This adds up to China executing about 11 times as many people per capita than the United States. One must also keep in mind that the figure of China executing 1,718 is also the â€Å"at least† number; the Dui Hua foundation estimated 5,000-6,000 executions in one year alone. If China indeed executed 5,000, this would raise their per capita execution rate three times higher, to 33 times more executions per capita than America. While there are countries who execute more than the United States of America besides China, they aren’t countries that America would like to be placed with. In descending order the ten countries with the highest executions are, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Pakistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Afghanistan, North Korea, and Japan4. Interestingly enough, American soldiers have fought wars within the borders of six out of nine of these countries since World War II. The United States of America and China are the two most powerful countries in the world right now, yet they are in a list with the likes of under-developed countries like Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia. China kills enormous amounts of people as compared to every other country, and they also do so in a manner that the American Criminal Justice system would consider extremely unconstitutional. In the United States we use grand juries and/or preliminary hearings as a screening device to make sure there is enough evidence to go to trial, whereas in the People’s Republic of China, there is one person, called a Procurator, who screens cases5. This causes the decision to go to trial extremely unfair, because the standard of evidence in China is â€Å"sufficient† as opposed to American standard of â€Å"beyond a reasonable doubt†. Also in the case of a grand jury, there has to be more than one person agreeing the case can go to trial, whereas in China, just one person decides whether a case is trial worthy. The largest difference between the two countries processes however, is not the use or lack thereof grand juries, but the difference lies in how trials are conducted. China uses the Inquisitorial Model, where a judge dominates the questioning and debating, and a panel of judges, not regular citizens, decides facts and applies the laws5. This could either seem like a terrible idea, or a great idea. Keeping the same group of judges instead of a jury, there is a sense of consistency. There is no unfair jury selection like in the American system that can usually be based on picking people of certain races who are more likely to convict somebody of a certain race based on statistics. Yet at the same time, these men are judges and see all sorts of criminals, and are very likely to think that anybody arrested, is arrested for a just reason. These judges are also more likely to impose the law harshly, since they are government officials of a country whose government is known to violate numerous human rights. Another huge difference between the two nations lies within the appeals process. In China, not only can the accused appeal, but the Procurator can appeal as well if he or she feels that the sentencing wasn’t done correctly. The accused is only given 10 days to initially file an appeal. If the accused appeals and loses, his sentence can only be lessened, but if a Procurator appeals, the sentence can be made more severe. In the United States, only the accused may appeal, the prosecutor is unable5. This process of Procurators appealing could never happen in the United States, based on the Fifth Amendment. It would be considered â€Å"Double Jeopardy†, since even if a court (aside from the Supreme People’s Court) finds him innocent, the procurator may appeal for a new trial. All of these difference cause many more injustices in China than America. There are even more injustices in the Chinese system. Amnesty International states, â€Å"In China those facing capital charges do not receive fair trials. Failings include the lack of prompt access to lawyers, a lack of presumption of innocence, political interference in the judiciary and failure to exclude evidence extracted through torture†6. These â€Å"failings† pose a particular issue in China. One of the mentioned â€Å"failings† is lack of presumption of innocence. When a person in China is arrested, they are presumed guilty, and therefore a trial is almost only to prove his innocence, whereas in America we presume innocent until proven guilty and in trials, the prosecutor must prove guilt. Another â€Å"failing† is if the accused doesn’t get access to a lawyer quick enough, he could be put to death very rapidly because after a death sentence is approved; the execution is carried out within 7 days7. The United States of America has long stays on death row, which take a lot of effect out of the execution, but also gives the accused time to appeal, and file all sorts of motions and requests for clemency. Amnesty International also states that China uses information that is extracted through torture. While in the United States this does happen, it is never done so legally, and if a judge finds evidence was extracted through torture, that evidence in unusable. These factors; lack of access lawyers, unfair trial processes, and lack of presumption of innocence, all cause China’s capital punishment statutes to seem extremely unjust and I would think that quite often even Chinese citizens are unsure of the reliability of their own system, but then I remember that a lot of what the government does is shrouded in secrecy so citizens don’t really know. The general method of execution in The People’s Republic of China is single gunshot to the head. Although China officially uses Lethal Injection as an option, it is still not used as much as gunshot to the head. An article in USA Today about methods of execution states, â€Å"Prior to 1997, China’s main form of execution was shooting. According to a 1998 report from Amnesty International, the Chinese press reported 24 lethal-injection executions in that year, but the exact number is unknown†8. This quote to me shows, that they have started to use lethal injection, but one must remember that China regularly executes well over 1000 people, so 24 by lethal injection is a start, but not nearly a majority whereas in America lethal Injection is the main method. Under post-Furman statutes there have been 1,070 executions in the United States. 01 of these executions were by lethal injection, followed by 153 of them by electrocution9. Lethal Injection accounts for 84. 2% of American executions (American Statistics were as of April 12, 2007) whereas Lethal Injection in China only accounted for at most, 2. 5% in 1998. These figures may be from different years but 2. 5% versus 84. 2% is a huge difference. The reason China would use gunshot to the head, in my opinion, is it saves money. The Chinese trial and appeals process, which is very fast in nature, saves money compared to the long and drawn out American process. Add to that figure that executions are carried out within 7 days of sentencing10. The Chinese definitely spend nowhere near the figures that Americans spend on Death Row, since Chinese executions occur in less than 7 days post-sentencing. Although I am just speculating on cost savings since these figures cannot be found due to China’s secrecy on the subject of capital punishment. I think there is much to learn from the Chinese system when it comes to saving money and efficiency, although I strongly disagree with their lack of rights for defendants. While the differences outlined in this paper are not the only ones, they are the differences that I felt really separate the American and Chinese use of capital punishment. While the American government wastes tons of money on capital punishment, I think our higher standard of evidence and longer proceedings allow us to be surer that the right person is being executed, and although our system has many issues, I still would stand behind it over the system used in The People’s Republic of China.

Boudicca the Revolt

But despite the obvious Roman agenda that has been intertwined within the recounts of Tacitus and Dio, they remain to be the only credible primary sources of information and provide the most accurate reports of the revolt’s eruption, core and aftermath. Differences and contradictions exist in both accounts of the revolt, with Tacitus harbouring a more lenient attitude towards the British in his collections, ‘Agricola’ and the ‘Annals’. Tacitus suggests that the underlying cause of the revolt was the mistreatment of the Iceni tribe by the Romans following Prasutagus’ death. Tacitus writes in Agricola, ‘the Britons dwelt much amongst themselves on the miseries of subjection†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ introducing the idea that the native’s rights had been suppressed and that the revolt was partly at the fault of the Roman government. Tacitus, in the Annals, proposes that frustration and resentment grew within the Iceni after the Romans ignored Prasutagus’ will to share the rulership of the tribe between the emperor and his two daughters. Instead, Roman officers and slaves alike attacked his kingdom, publicly flogging his wife, Boudicca, and raping his two daughters. Outrage ensued within the humiliated tribe, subsequently leading to the rise of the revolt. Tacitus’ account of the events that led to the revolt display a soft tone of sympathy towards the natives, whilst also openly criticizing and condemning the treatment the Iceni received; thereby providing the most objective viewpoint of the revolt’s roots. On the other hand, Cassius Dio submits other reasons behind the eruption of Boudicca’s revolt in ‘Dio’s Roman History’. Dio introduces the idea that the Iceni were searching for an ‘excuse’ to strengthen the notion that the Romans were tyrants in order to ignite the rebellion and overthrow the invasion, ‘an excuse for the war was found in the confiscation of sums of money that Claudius had given to the foremost Britons. ’ Dio proceeds to propose another possible cause, focusing on the money that Seneca, hoping to garner profit from interest, lent the natives and later demanded back through harsh strategies. However, Dio concludes that ‘the person who was chiefly instrumental in rousing the natives and persuading them to fight†¦ was Boudicca. Dio’s approach to the revolt presents the British tribes as greedy; killing seventy thousand people for the sake of the money that was taken from them. Cassius Dio projects biasness towards Rome in his work, hence the title of his historical collection ‘Dio’s Roman History’. This is especially clear when Dio, in his collection, chooses to overlook the growing frustration amongst the native tribes that was caused by the aggression of the Romans, as suggested by Tacitus and other minority sources. Manda Scott, British author of the ‘Boudicca’ series, agrees that the financial conflicts between the native tribes and Rome were essential to the breakout of the war; however, she insists that the conflicts were because of Roman greed for money, opposing Dio’s insistence on presenting the blame upon the British natives. Tacitus and Dio’s accounts of the revolt bring forth different perspectives in regards to the causes. Yet, both historians have recorded similar information in regards to the events and the aftermath. In Tacitus’ ‘The Annals’, Boudicca’s army destroyed Camulodunum and burnt down the Temple of Claudius – referred to as ‘Citadel of Tyranny’ by Paul Sealey a major symbolic victory for the Trinovantes, whose land was seized for the construction of the temple. The large army then advanced to Londinium, where Suetonius was awaiting them. However, upon contemplation, Suetonius decided to abandon Londinium to its fate on the basis of his army’s numerical inferiority, a decision that was morally criticized by Tacitus, ‘unmoved by lamentations and appeals, Suetonius gave the signal for departure. Tacitus portrays the rebels as barbaric during their campaign, recounting that they ‘could not wait to cut throats, hang, burn and crucify. ’ Similarly, Dio, in ‘Roman History VIII’ also depicts the Britons as savages by describing in detail their methods of torture, ‘They hung up naked the noblest women an d then cut off their breasts†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ After the rebels ravaged Londinium and Verulamium, in an unknown location, Suetonius gathered his army of 10,000 men. Suetonius positioned his men in a position that gave the British the impression that they were trapped, giving the Romans the advantage of deceiving their opponents before an ambush attack. As Boudicca’s army of, according to Dio, 230,000 men encountered the experienced Roman soldiers, Dio writes that Suetonius ‘could not extend his line the whole length of hers†¦ so inferior they were in numbers. ’ For this reason, the army was divided into three bodies, to which Suetonius delivered three speeches of encouragement and comfort, saying, ‘Up, Romans! Show these accursed wretches how far we surpass them†¦ Fear not. Meanwhile, Boudicca also delivered a speech to her army that further fueled their rage, ‘†¦old people are killed, virgins are raped†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ whilst also giving them confidence to fight, ‘they will never face the din and roar of all our thousands’, before ordering them to charge. As the large army charged toward s the Romans, Tacitus writes that Suetonius signaled his men to throw their javelins at the approaching mass. John Nayler, historical consultant, explainss Suetonius’ strategy as to move as one shielded body, so as to act as a defense, whilst those at the front used their short swords to kill attackers. Meanwhile, Tacitus’ account, ‘then, in wedge formation, they burst forward’, supports this theory. As the battle begun and their forces clashed, Dio’s account suggests that the battle was initially even between both sides as the ‘heavy-armed were opposed to the heavy-armed, cavalry crashed with cavalry†¦the barbarians would assail the Romans with a rush of their chariots. ’ However, as events unfolded, order was lost and chaos unfolded, ‘horsemen would overthrow foot-soldier and foot-soldier strike down horseman. Neither Tacitus nor Dio provide further detail other than that the battle continued ‘for a long time’ but ‘finally, late in the day, the Romans prevailed. ’ As many as eighty thousand Britons fell according to Tacitus, but as for the Roman casualties, both historians deliberately give the illusion that the Romans were not massacred in order to maintain the reputation of their victory. There exist co ntradictions between Tacitus and Dio in regards to Boudicca’s fate, with Tacitus claiming that she poisoned herself whilst Dio writes that he died of illness. Manda Scott supports Tacitus’ account, suggesting that this would be the most plausible explanation considering the grief that Boudicca would have experienced after the mass slaughter of her people as well as the loss of her two daughters. Along with the Britons’ defeat and the loss of their leader, they had also suffered from famine due to neglecting their crops that year. As for the aftermath of the revolt within Rome, Tacitus recounts that Suetonius prolonged the war through punitive operations, gaining criticism from Classicianus. These criticisms, in turn, were received by Rome, who had interests to stop the war immediately so as to save resources and lives. Therefore, Nero sent his freedman, Polyclitus, to assess the situation in Britain, resulting in the replacement of Suetonius by Turpilianus in the hopes of improving relations with the natives. To conclude, Boudicca’s revolt, though ending in a military failure, was a spectacular failure that displayed to the Romans the strength and determination of a race that they had seen as inferior. Due to this revolt, which comprised of inexperienced tribesmen and women, the dynamics of the Roman government in Britain had shifted as Nero realized the core importance of maintaining good relations with the tribes. Both Tacitus and Dio have played major roles in retelling the story of Boudicca and the legacy of her political revolution, providing essential information and details that have helped modern historians to study and observe Boudicca and all the events that surrounded her. s

ECOLOGY, RECYCLING AND CONSERVATION, Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

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Contemporary Issues in Strategic Management - Assignment Example There have also been many chief executives at the company but the latest expansion was under the stewardship of Mr. Sarin who was taken from the Coca-Cola Company. Its growth has been mostly of the acquisition type and this has seen it assume the level of operating on economies of scale. This case below, therefore, undertakes to analyze the value chain framework, unearth the key competencies and then lineate the strategic development of the company to the main goals and objectives.  Ã‚   Value Chain refers to the activities taking place in a business and related to the competitive strengths of the company. The value chain has two major branches; primary activities and support activities. Primary activities are the activities of a company that are concerned with the creation and delivery of a product. Support activities are all those activities that increase the efficiency of primary activities. One of the primary chain activities is the inbound logistics operations. These activities concern themselves with storage of materials that are sourced externally. Outbound logistics, on the other hand, are all the activities that are used to get the finished company products to the buyers. Marketing and sales services are activities that are concerned with giving the information to the consumers about the availability of the goods and services in a company.  Ã‚   Key competencies are the activities of strength that are used to create a positive advantage of the company above others by utilization of its key strengths. The core competencies may take the form of effective people management as well as investing in the strength of the brand of the company. Moreover, the company can decide to sell its wares at a lower price which would culminate into cost advantages.