Explain and evaluate Walter Benjamin's statement (made in 1936) about Essay

Explain and evaluate Walter Benjamin's statement (made in 1936) about the aestheticization of politics under German fascism - Essay Example In Benjamin’s opinion, the First World War led to the fascist ideology in Germany in the 1920s, which was a catalyst for the break-out of World War II (Leslie 164). As such, Benjamin used the term â€Å"aesthetics† to explain how the Nazis used the innately artistic traits of everyday life to influence people towards fascist political orientations in Germany (Leslie 164). Considering that aesthetic values focus on the physical representation of beauty, the Nazis under Hitler wanted the Germans to experience the true beauty of Germany that had been corrupted by foreigners, especially the Jews (Leslie 164). According to Spielvogel, the Nazi leadership led the Germans to reject modern art which they labeled as â€Å"Jewish art† particularly that of the Weimar era (158). This rejection of Weimar art was symbolic in that it signified the overthrowal of the Weimar politics, hated by the Germans (Spielvogel 158). â€Å"Modern art† was replaced with the â€Å"new German art† which reflected upon German traditions, thus further uniting the people politically. Other forms of art, such as painting, music, theater, and literature were also used to instill the fascist political ideology in people. Under Hitler architecture was revived, gigantic buildings were built to signify the power of the Germans to the outside world and to also instill confidence in the German people (Spielvogel 161). According to Spielvogel, Hitler was a major propagandist who believed that the myths he held about the superiority of the Germans, and particularly the Aryan race, could be translated to reality (143-144). As such, Hitler used mass rallies to spread propaganda and convince the Germans to follow him. â€Å"Triumph of the will†, a film by Leni Riefenstahl tells the story of the events that unfolded at the Sixth Nuremburg Party Congress in 1934. Central to the film is the rise of Hitler to Chancellor and how he used propaganda to draw crowds to his s ide. As an orator, and a performer, Hitler was able to convince the Germans to follow him all the way to World War II (Spielvogel 127). At the congress, hundreds of thousands of Nazi party members march and salute Hitler, whose cult of personality, by for example calling himself the messiah, had influenced the masses to believe they had to follow him (Spielvogel 133). According to Spielvogel, after 1934, children in school were forced to write compositions in which they compared Hitler to Jesus (134). In the film, while addressing the crowd, Hitler proclaimed â€Å"Ein Volk, Ein Fuhrer, Ein Reich!† which translates to â€Å"one people, one leader, one empire†. As Spielvogel writes, during the 1936 party day at Nuremberg, the crowd was so influenced by Hitler that they started chanting â€Å"we want one leader! Nothing for us! Everything for Germany! Heil Hitler!† (150). Hitler had thus, achieved his mission for uniting the Germans for war. All that remained was for Germany to expand its borders through a war that was technologically-enabled. As a form of art, mechanical reproduction that emerged during the first world war in the form of technological warfare is what shaped fascist politics in Germany. Essentially, technology was the artistic vehicle that fuelled the war led by the Germans. For example, the Nazis assumed total monopoly over the press such that all the content reaching the masses was the Nazi version; any other news was

Ethical issues we face Essay Example for Free

Ethical issues we face Essay Ethical issues we face in the day-to-day job or private life Ethics is one of the most important aspects in our daily lives, whether we are employed within an organization or act as members of a society. Issues concerning ethics have increased significantly especially over the last two decades as a result of globalism and of a fast-changing world. Nowadays, the extensive usage of social media requires certain ethical behavior that goes hand-in-hand with the real world. Ethical issues in the workplace. Ethical issues vary on the type of business an organization is involved in. However, certain issues remain the same and dealing with them is very crucial since their effects on the future of an organization might be devastating. Among them I can mention: Health and Safety It is important to have a proper balance between the costs of production and the health of employees. All companies must ensure a safe work environment. However, there have been cases where in order to cut spending companies have failed to pay close attention to the health of their employees. Sexual harassment Sexual harassment is one of most common ethical issues in the workplace behind which a large number of legal trials exist. Asking sexual favors in exchange of promotions is not only unethical but also punishable by law in most of the countries. Conducting personal business on company time This can significantly impact personal job performance and the overall results of a company. Taking advantage of other’s work There are times when we are required to work in a team and thus having an interaction with others when reaching the predetermined goals. Sometimes this can cause that certain individuals might take advantage of other’s work at a time when their contribution was minimal or lacking professionalism. To tell or not to tell Observance of improper business practices conducted by managers or fellow employees can cause an ethical dilemma. In such cases we often ask ourselves to tell or not to tell. On one hand we are aware of their wrongdoing and  want to report the problem, but on the other hand fear of losing the job cause us to remain silent. Other issues include late arrivals, lying to customers, nepotism, laying off of an experienced workforce and hiring of cheap labor, whistle-blowing etc Ethical problems in private life Ethical problems in our private life have a broader range as we are part of more complex environments. Some of them are as follows: Finding money which does not belong to us. Gun control Abortion Global warming Stem cell research Environment Public goods Disparities in wealth Racism

5c Battery Crisis At Nokia Marketing Essay

5c Battery Crisis At Nokia Marketing Essay Nokia Corporation is a Multinational communication and information technology corporation headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, Finland. The Nokia Corporation is engaged in manufacturing of mobile phones and portable IT devices. Nokia has sales in more than 150 countries also 123000 employees in 120 countries and is the worlds second largest manufacturer of mobile phones after Samsung. Nokia produces mobile devices for every major market segment and protocol, including GSM and CDMA. In India Nokia started its business in the year 1994 and they set up a factory at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu and is globally the second largest production site in Asia, after the China plant. Nokia being one of the market leaders in Mobile Communication has always focussed on customer, relationship and trust. Building friendship and trust is the heart of Nokia Brand. Even the logo of Nokia shows their brand personality. BL 5C Battery Crisis at Nokia Nokia Corporation has made connectivity truly ever- present. It has emerged as the world leader in mobile technologies and moved towards its vision of Connecting People. Even after having a strong strategic growth and transformation, Nokia in the year 2007 had recalled about 46 million units of its BL 5C model of mobile phone batteries which were manufactured between December 2005 and November 2006 by the Matsushita Battery Industrial Co. Ltd. Due to complaints from its consumers about the overheating of the batteries. On August 13, 2007, Nokia issued a warning over its BL-5C batteries across the world, stating that these batteries may get overheated while charging. It said that about hundred such incidents of overheating had been reported globally but there were no reports of the batteries being associated with any serious injuries or damage to property. Service Recovery by Nokia One of the top and the most important priorities for Nokia was to handle the battery crisis in an intelligent manner so that is does not raise any questions to the brand name of the company and also the integrity of the company. The warnings issued by Nokia created a nation-wide panic among the consumers. The consumers checked their Nokia handsets and rushed to the nearest service centre. The Company clarified the problems relating to the batteries and also offered to replace the batteries free of cost to the consumers. http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQk-Ax8gOow5C2v1COpRk-XJUB0zRFvsbw5bDRKku7NH1PZX69X9A The head of customer and market operations at Nokia, Mr. Robert Anderson said By reacting swiftly and responsibly, and by being fully transparent, we believe that the consumers view Nokia as a responsible and a trustworthy brand. The panic all over the nation in the minds of the consumers created havoc and also affected the brand image of Nokia. To overcome such problem and to appease the growing fear in the mind of the customers, Nokia through advertisements in various national newspapers and TV networks made it clear for the safety of the consumers it had issued a product advisory for the BL 5C batteries and not a total recall of the product. Nokia took all possible actions to ensure customer safety and satisfaction. Nokia launched a customer service program to help customers and retailers recognize non original batteries. They also introduced the scheme of customers could check online by keying the battery number from the website of Nokia. The customers can check the status of their batteries by stating the 26 character battery identification number, the customers were even allowed to SMS the battery identification number specified by the company. If the battery was found defective and was eligible for replacement then the customers were to fill an online form where the new battery was dispatched to the consumers registered address with a postage prepaid envelope to send the old defective battery back to the Nokia office address. All these options were not enough because there were also some independent mobile service and buyers and because of that Nokia was unable to reach among all its consumers. To overcome this problem a toll-free telephone helpline was placed at each Customer Call Centre as well as the Nokia Priority Dealers. With the help of the toll-free number Nokia was able to reach the local customers easily. There were more than 150000 phone calls within a couple of days. All the batteries were sent to the CCCs and the RDs which came directly from the consumers. The After Affects of the crisis was that during the 2nd quarter of 2007, Nokia sold 101 million mobile phones, which was around 29% increase from the previous year. Nokia continued to be the market leader even after the crisis this was because Nokia had a strong sense of Social Responsibility. This scheme was a big hit for Nokia and their customers were more than satisfied with the customer service. In the end instead of being a damage control exercise, it turned out to be Marketing and PR campaign for Nokia with even more word-of-mouth publicity was created. Leading mobile operators in India, such as Bharti Airtel and Hutch, have come to support  Nokias efforts in facing this crisis. They appreciate the responsibility that it has taken over its fault in the matter and the fast solutions that it has started deploying. Nokia will have to suffer a major step backwards, in profits and brand credibility, one that it must accept in order to reconfirm its names having always been linked to product quality. http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQk-Ax8gOow5C2v1COpRk-XJUB0zRFvsbw5bDRKku7NH1PZX69X9A There were of course a few disgruntled customers who felt left out as they werent eligible to avail a free replacement of their batteries, but then that would be a few dissatisfied customers no matter what ever scheme or gimmick was tried.    But on the whole, since an overwhelming majority was happy in the end, that is more than enough to declare and state the scheme, operation and exercise as a success. Nokia managed to prevent a mad scramble at their authorized service centre (ASC) network and causing an overload on their staff, by making this exchange scheme / offer available from the customers home/office itself, so this benefited the customers too from having to take time out specially to visit a Nokia ASC and then end up spend hours in a queue. It was also important for the company to communicate clearly and transparently with its consumers. Nokia contended that it had acted swiftly and transparently in the best interests of its consumers and hoped to come out of such a crisis. Nokia won the hearts of the customers to successfully defuse the crisis that could have generated a bigger loss to the Company as well as its well built image. In the end both Nokia and its customers were happy. C:UsersMayankDownloadsimages.jpg

deatharms Accepting Death in Ernest Hemingways A Farewell to Arms Ess

Accepting Death in Hemingway's A Farewell To Arms A Farewell To Arms is Ernest Hemingway's poignant yet simple tale of two young lovers who meet during the chaos of W.W.I and the relationship that endures until its tragic end. Frederick Henry, an American lieutenant in the Italian army, and Catherine Barkley, an English volunteer nurse, share a devout love for one another that deepens as Catherine becomes pregnant, yet their blissful relationship becomes tragically shortened as the baby and Catherine die as a result of the birth, leaving Frederick alone to accept their deaths. Written in the distinctive and unimbellished style signature to Ernest Hemingway, "A Farewell To Arms" carries the reader through a roller-coaster of emotions dealing with the idea that death remains as the end of life, and that man must live to its fullest potential while provided the ability to do so. The concept of understanding and accepting death plays a prominent role in "A Farewell To Arms." The idea of death permeates or lies behind all of the characters' actions. This involves the idea of "w...

College Admissions Essay: Making the Connections :: College Admissions Essays

Making the Connections    The human race is immortal.   There is nothing that forces us to decay into old age and die, this is merely our body destroying itself once our purpose ( reproduction ) is complete.   Evolution not only did not bother to select against genes that kill off people past 40, but to some degree selected for such genes: the faster we go through generations, the faster we evolve.   If the genes that cause the changes we associate with old age were suppressed in some chemical way, we would be capable of eternal life.   Another way to immortality would involve the building of a biomechanical body of some sort, something right out of a Terminator movie, that would support the brain with only the chemicals necessary to survival ( if we could determine which those are ) and thus avoid the effect of aging genes.   All of this genetic, biochemical and hydraulic research would be based on knowledge gained in college.   One other thing: we've all heard of cults that claim they have disco vered immortality in some way, which supposedly have members who've lived 200 years.   If there's even a shred of truth in any of that, my guess is that these 200 year veterans have managed to order their minds in some way ( through some arcane style of thinking perhaps ) that erased the biological clock.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All in all, immortality is only one small thing that humans might be capable of.   The strange abilities seen in autistic people, like incredible number crunching speed, really are not unique to autistic people.   These abilities are buried deep in everyone's subconscious, and it is just a matter of our minds letting us use them or not.   In fact, I think that along with those mathematical abilities are buried many more abilities.   I feel sure that among them is perfect coordination, and there might be some really strange psychic or time-related abilities as well.   The subconscious is driven by its creator, evolution.   It is only concerned with reproduction.   Evolution has erected a barrier between ourselves and our potential, and lets ability seep through to those who have desirable traits and are intended to reproduce. College Admissions Essay: Making the Connections :: College Admissions Essays Making the Connections    The human race is immortal.   There is nothing that forces us to decay into old age and die, this is merely our body destroying itself once our purpose ( reproduction ) is complete.   Evolution not only did not bother to select against genes that kill off people past 40, but to some degree selected for such genes: the faster we go through generations, the faster we evolve.   If the genes that cause the changes we associate with old age were suppressed in some chemical way, we would be capable of eternal life.   Another way to immortality would involve the building of a biomechanical body of some sort, something right out of a Terminator movie, that would support the brain with only the chemicals necessary to survival ( if we could determine which those are ) and thus avoid the effect of aging genes.   All of this genetic, biochemical and hydraulic research would be based on knowledge gained in college.   One other thing: we've all heard of cults that claim they have disco vered immortality in some way, which supposedly have members who've lived 200 years.   If there's even a shred of truth in any of that, my guess is that these 200 year veterans have managed to order their minds in some way ( through some arcane style of thinking perhaps ) that erased the biological clock.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All in all, immortality is only one small thing that humans might be capable of.   The strange abilities seen in autistic people, like incredible number crunching speed, really are not unique to autistic people.   These abilities are buried deep in everyone's subconscious, and it is just a matter of our minds letting us use them or not.   In fact, I think that along with those mathematical abilities are buried many more abilities.   I feel sure that among them is perfect coordination, and there might be some really strange psychic or time-related abilities as well.   The subconscious is driven by its creator, evolution.   It is only concerned with reproduction.   Evolution has erected a barrier between ourselves and our potential, and lets ability seep through to those who have desirable traits and are intended to reproduce.

Introduction to the Rajputs Essay

A Rajput is a member of one of the landowning patrilineal clans of central and northern India. Rajputs consider themselves descendants of one of the major ruling warrior groups of the Hindu Kshatriya varna ( social order ) in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India. The Rajputs rose to prominence during the 6th to 12th centuries, and until the 20th century Rajputs ruled in the â€Å"overwhelming majority† of the princely states of Rajasthan and Saurashtra, where the largest number of princely states were found. They are divided into three major lineages. The Rajput empire spread in many countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Southeast Asia and some parts of Tibet. The four Agnivanshi clans namely the Pariharas (Pratihara), Solankis (Chalukya dynasty) Paramaras and Chahamanas rose to prominence first, establishing territories and creating kingdoms. The Rajputs were mainly feudal lords under the over-lordship of the rulers belonging to Pratiharas à ¢â‚¬â€œ a dynasty that ruled until the 10th century. Gradually, they attained the status of independent rulers. Their dominion spread over most parts of north India. In the north-west region known as Rajputana, which comprises the present day Rajasthan and parts of Pakistan. The Rajput community comprised of the Chauhans of East Punjab, Northern Rajasthan and Delhi, the Rathores of Uttar Pradesh, the Paramaras of Central India and the Tomars of Gwalior and later, Delhi. Of these the Chauhans and the Rathores were dominant clans. The Rajput though brave and chivalrous often succumbed to inter-clan rivalries, which proved advantageous for the Muslim rulers during the medieval period. The Rajputs being a dominant Hindu clan offered heavy resistance to the Muslim rulers who spread their rule over India during the medieval period. The Rajput princes maintained their own independent princely kingdoms. Some of the brave Rajput rulers who have been made their names eternal in Indian history are Prithviraj Chauhan, Rana Kumbha, Rana Sangram Singh, Rana Udai Singh and Maharana Pratap. Prithviraj Chauhan proved to be the last Rajput ruler of Delhi. The Chauhans, led by Govinda, grandson of Prithviraj, later established a small state centered around Rathambore in present-day Rajasthan. The Rajput lifestyle was designed to foster a martial spirit, with men even forging a bond with their sword. The double-edged scimitar known as the khanda was a popular weapon among the Rajputs of that era. On special occasions, primary chief would break up a meeting of his vassal chiefs with khanda nariyal, the distribution of daggers and coconuts. Many Rajputs are nostalgic about their past and keenly conscious of their genealogy, emphasizing a Rajput ethos that is martial in spirit, with a fierce pride in lineage and tradition. The Rajput rulers had a keen sense of beauty in art and architecture which is seen in the artistic excellence of their temples, forts and palaces. The Indo-Aryan style of architecture developed in North India and Upper Deccan and the Dravidian style in South India during the Rajput period. Both sculpture and architecture attained a high degree of excellence. e.g. The Rathas of Mahabalipuram or Mammallapuram, the Kailash temple at Ellora and the sculpture of Elephanta belonging to the early Rajput period ( 600 Ad to 900 AD ) The temple architecture of Orissa, Khajuraho, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and the Pallava, Chola and Hoysala temples in the South belong to the later Rajput period. ( 900 AD to 1200 AD )

Principles of Economics Essay

Suggest how an economist would approach the problem of alcohol abuse. Economics is about scarcity and choice. It is assumed that all human beings are rational thinkers hence would always choose to consume products that would give them maximum satisfaction or utility. Mankiw (2011, p. 6) argues that rational people ‘systematically and purposefully do the best to achieve objectives given available opportunity.’ Given a choice among alternatives and with scarce resources, one would evaluate the benefits and costs of consuming an extra unit of a product and would only take a decision only if marginal benefit is greater than marginal cost. In this case, to solve the alcohol abuse problem, one has to consider marginal benefits and marginal costs derived from consuming an extra unit of alcohol and since excessive drinking has more costs than benefits, one would refrain from alcohol. The opportunity cost foregone by choosing to abuse alcohol is too high compared to satisfaction derived; money spent on alcohol can do many other things such as feeding the family, education for children, and investments among others. Besides, the person may have health problems thus adding to the costs. By considering all these factors, a rational person would refrain from alcohol abuse. Heyne (2000) acknowledges the role played by incentives in directing behavior. For him, rational people usually respond to incentives or are induced to act by them. Assuming alcohol abusers are rational, imposing taxes on alcohol substances would eliminate the problem. This would follow the law of demand which states that other things being constant, if the price of a good increase, the quantity demanded of the good decreases. Taxes have the effect of increasing alcohol prices and this would automatically mean that the abusers would desist from alcohol consumption or cut their consumption. Analyze how prescription drugs affect the demand and supply of other products  and services in this country. Prescription drugs are drugs prescribed by a medical officer to a patient and are regulated by legislation unlike the over-the-counter drugs which can be old to anyone. If a patient is under prescription drugs, he/she buys the drugs despite the price of the drugs. An increase or decrease in price of the drugs therefore has little or no effect on the quantity demanded by an individual (McCarthy & Schafermeyer, 2007). The drugs are provided by the National Health Insurance and have no close substitutes. The increase in price of the drugs thus affects all the sectors of healthcare industry such as patients and private insurers. Due to increased costs, the private insurers are forced to increase the cost of their services in case they have to offer such drugs and this may lead to low demand for their services. The patients are also required to get medical prescriptions before obtaining the drugs thus the demand for the medicine may be low compared to over-the-counter drugs. Use of prescription drugs also has an effect on demand for other healthcare services such as hospitalization. The prescription drugs also affect supply of generic products as manufacturers have patents to supply the new drugs for some years. Formulate a reason why elasticity of demand is an important consideration when analyzing the impact of a shift in supply and why the elasticity of supply is an important consideration when analyzing the impact of shift in demand. The price elasticity of demanded which is percentage change in quantity demanded over percentage change in price shows consumers responsiveness to price changes. (McKenzie & Lee, 2006). It is an important consideration when analyzing the impact of a shift in supply and in determining if the firm should raise or lower its price. The supply curve is upward sloping showing a positive relationship between price and quantity supplied other things held constant. However, in long-run, those factors do change causing a shift in supply curve. Such factors include; input prices, technology, expectations and number of sellers in the market. For example, an increase in input prices such as labor would lead to a decrease in supply thus shifting the supply curve to the left. This results in low output which is  not able to satisfy the market demand thus pushing the prices up. An increase in prices according to the law of demand would lead to a fall in demand leading to excess supply and consequently fall in prices until an equilibrium is reached (Mankiw, 2011). However, the fall in quantity demanded will be determined by elasticity of demand. If the product has inelastic demand, an increase in price as a result of shift in supply would have no effect on demand thus suppliers would get more revenue. If demand for the product is elastic, an increase in price would lead to a massive reduction in quantity demanded and consequently lowering of prices and revenue. Shifts in demand curve are caused by other factors that affect demand except price. These include; income, price of related goods, tastes and preferences, expectations and number of buyers (Mankiw, 2011). Elasticity of supply shows the producers’ responsiveness to changes in price and is important in evaluating the impact of a shift in demand. For example, an increase in income would lead to an increase in demand depending on the type of the good thereby shifting the demand curve to the right. If it is an inferior good, an increase in income would lead to decrease in demand shifting the curve to the left. In this case, the good is normal. A shift in demand curve to the right would lead to an increase in price and quantity supplied. However, this is determined by elasticity of supply. If the good is elastic, a small increase in price would lead to a large increase in quantity supplied. This would in effect lead to excess supply forcing the prices to fall thus inducing an increase in quantity demanded but if the supply is inelastic, an increase in price would lead to a small increase in quantity supplied not enough to offset costs hence fall in revenue. Provide two examples of increasing-cost industries in your state and propose why they would have a positively sloped supply curve. According to McEachern (2010) increasing-cost industries occur as a result of entry of new firms due to increase in demand. An increase in demand results in high production costs and the average long-run average cost curve of each firm to shift upwards. The market is competitive and thus new firms enter the industry to share in the abnormal profits made by existing firms. However, as new firms enter, they compete thereby pushing up the production costs leading to low  profit or some firms are forced out of the market. This depends on how far the market supply curve shifts to interact with demand curve. The industry would have a positively sloped supply curve as an indication of the increasing costs. Examples of increasing-cost industries are housing construction and mobile companies which bid up prices for labor and raw materials. Suggest how, under certain conditions, a perfectly competitive market is economically efficient. A perfectly competitive market can’t innovate, because all products are homogeneous and can’t take advantage of cooperation. But if you define efficiency in a particularly useless way and choose only one definition of â€Å"economic efficiency† as well then there are certain conditions under which a perfectly competitive market is â€Å"economically efficient†.