In 1959, A Rebel, Fidel Castro, Overthrew The Reign Of Fulgencia Batis

In 1959, a rebel, Fidel Castro, overthrew the reign of Fulgencia Batista in Cuba; a small island 90 miles off the Florida coast. There have been many coups and changes of government in the world since then. Few if any have had the effect on Americans and American foreign policy as this one. In 1952, Sergeant Fulgencia Batista staged a successful bloodless coup in Cuba. Batista never really had any cooperation and rarely garnered much support. His reign was marked by continual dissension. After waiting to see if Batista would be seriously opposed, Washington recognized his government. Batista had already broken ties with the Soviet Union and became an ally to the U.S. throughout the cold war. He was continually friendly and helpful to American business interest. However, he failed to bring democracy to Cuba or secure the broad popular support that might have legitimized his rape of the 1940 Constitution. As the people of Cuba grew increasingly dissatisfied with his gangster style poli tics, the tiny rebellions that had sprouted began to grow. Meanwhile the U.S. government was aware of and shared the distaste for a regime increasingly nauseating to most public opinion. It became clear that Batista regime was an odious type of government. It killed its own citizens, it stifled dissent. (1) At this time Fidel Castro appeared as leader of the growing rebellion. Educated in America he was a proponent of the Marxist-Leninist philosophy. He conducted a brilliant guerilla campaign from the hills of Cuba against Batista. On January 1959, he prevailed and overthrew the Batista government. Castro promised to restore democracy in Cuba, a feat Batista had failed to accomplish. This promise was looked upon benevolently but watchfully by ashington. Castro was believed to be too much in the hands of the people to stretch the rules of politics very far. The U.S. government supported Castro's coup. It professed to not know about Castro's Communist leanings. Perhaps this was due to the ramifications of Senator Joe McCarty's discredited anti-Communist diatribes. It seemed as if the reciprocal economic interests of the U.S. and Cuba would exert a stabilizing effect on Cuban politics. Cuba had been economically bound to find a market for its #1 crop, sugar. The U.S. had been buying it at prices much higher than market price. For this, it received a guaranteed flow of sugar. (2) Early on, however developments clouded the hope for peaceful relations. According to American Ambassador to Cuba, Phillip Bonsal, From the very beginning of his rule Castro and his sycophants bitterly and sweepingly attacked the relations of the United States government with Batista and his regime. (3) He accused us of supplying arms to Batista to help overthrow Castro's revolution and of harboring war criminals for a resurgence effort against him. For the most part these were not true: the U.S. put a trade embargo on Batista in 1957 stopping the U.S. shipment of arms to Cuba. (4) However , his last accusation seems to have been prescient. With the advent of Castro, the history of U.S.- Cuban relations was subjected to a revision of an intensity and cynicism, which left earlier efforts in the shade. This downfall took two roads in the eyes of Washington: Castro's incessant campaign of slander against the U.S. and Castro's wholesale nationalization of American properties. These actions and the U.S. reaction to them set the stage for what was to become the Bay of Pigs fiasco and the end of U.S.- Cuban relations. Castro promised the Cuban people that he would bring land reform to Cuba. When he took power, the bulk of the nation wealth and land was in the hands of a small minority. The huge plots of land were to be taken from the monopolistic owners and distributed evenly among the people. Compensation was to be paid to the former owners. According to Phillip Bonsal, Nothing Castro said, nothing stated in the agrarian reform statute Castro signed in 1958, and nothing in the law that was promulgated in the Official Gazzette of June 3, 1959, warranted the belief that in two years a wholesale conversion of Cuban agricultural land to state ownership would take place. (5) Such a notion then would have

Margaret Fuller, Writer, Editor, and Early Feminist

Margaret Fuller, Writer, Editor, and Early Feminist The American author, editor, and reformer Margaret Fuller holds a uniquely important place in 19th century history. Often remembered as a colleague and confidante of Ralph Waldo Emerson and others of the New England Transcendentalist movement, Fuller was also a feminist at a time when the role of women in society was severely limited. Fuller published several books, edited a magazine, and was a correspondent for the New York Tribune before dying tragically at the age of 40. Early Life of Margaret Fuller Margaret Fuller was born in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, on May 23, 1810. Her full name was Sarah Margaret Fuller, but in her professional life she dropped her first name. Fuller’s father, a lawyer who eventually served in Congress, educated young Margaret, following a classical curriculum. At that time, such an education was generally only received by boys. As an adult, Margaret Fuller worked as a teacher, and felt the need to give public lectures. As there were local laws against women giving public addresses, she billed her lectures as â€Å"Conversations,† and in 1839, at the age of 29, began offering them at a bookshop in Boston. Margaret Fuller and the Transcendentalists Fuller became friendly with Ralph Waldo Emerson, the leading advocate of transcendentalism, and moved to Concord, Massachusetts and lived with Emerson and his family. While in Concord, Fuller also became friendly with Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Scholars have noted that both Emerson and Hawthorne, though married men, had unrequited affections for Fuller, who was often described as being both brilliant and beautiful. For two years in the early 1840s Fuller was the editor of The Dial, the magazine of the transcendentalists. It was in the pages of The Dial that she published one of her significant early feminist works, â€Å"The Great Lawsuit: Man vs. Men, Woman vs. Women.† The title was a reference to individuals and society-imposed gender roles. She would later rework the essay and expand it into a book, Woman in the Nineteenth Century. Margaret Fuller and the New York Tribune In 1844 Fuller caught the attention of Horace Greeley, the editor of the New York Tribune, whose wife had attended some of Fuller’s â€Å"Conversations† in Boston years earlier. Greeley, impressed with Fuller’s writing talent and personality, offered her a job as a book reviewer and correspondent for his newspaper. Fuller was at first skeptical, as she held a low opinion of daily  journalism. But Greeley convinced her that he wanted his newspaper to be a mix of news for the common people as well as an outlet for intellectual writing. Fuller took the job in New York City, and lived with Greeley’s family in Manhattan. She worked for the Tribune from 1844 to 1846, often writing about reformist ideas such as improving conditions in prisons. In 1846 she was invited to join some friends on an extended trip to Europe. Fuller Reports from Europe She left New York, promising Greeley dispatches from London and elsewhere. While in Britain she conducted interviews with notable figures, including the writer Thomas Carlyle. In early 1847 Fuller and her friends traveled to Italy, and she settled in Rome. Ralph Waldo Emerson traveled to Britain in 1847, and sent a message to Fuller, asking her to return to America and live with him (and presumably his family) again at Concord. Fuller, enjoying the freedom she had found in Europe, declined the invitation. In the spring of 1847 Fuller had met a younger man, a 26-year-old Italian nobleman, the Marchese Giovanni Ossoli. They fell in love and Fuller became pregnant with their child. While still mailing dispatches off to Horace Greeley at the New York Tribune, she moved to the Italian countryside and delivered a baby boy in September 1848. Throughout 1848, Italy was in the throes of revolution, and Fuller’s news dispatches described the upheaval. She took pride in the fact that the revolutionaries in Italy drew inspiration from the American Revolution and what they regarded as the democratic ideals of the United States. Margaret Fullers Ill-Fated Return to America In 1849 the rebellion was suppressed, and Fuller, Ossoli, and their son left Rome for Florence. Fuller and Ossoli married and decided to relocate to the United States. In the late spring of 1850 the Ossoli family, not having the money to travel on a newer steamship, booked passage on a sailing ship bound for New York City. The ship, which was carrying a very heavy cargo of Italian marble in its hold, had hard luck from the outset of the voyage. The ships captain became ill, apparently with smallpox, died, and was buried at sea. The first mate took command of the ship, The Elizabeth, in mid-Atlantic, and managed to reach the east coast of America. However, the acting captain became disoriented in a heavy storm, and the ship ran aground on a sandbar off Long Island in the early morning hours of July 19, 1850. With its hold full of marble, the ship couldnt be freed. Though grounded within sight of the shoreline, enormous waves prevented those on board from reaching safety. Margaret Fuller’s baby son was given to a crew member, who tied him to his chest and tried to swim to shore. Both of them drowned. Fuller and her husband also drowned when the ship was eventually swamped by waves. Hearing the news in Concord, Ralph Waldo Emerson was devastated. He dispatched Henry David Thoreau to the shipwreck site on Long Island in hopes of retrieving Margaret Fuller’s body. Thoreau was deeply shaken by what he witnessed. Wreckage and bodies kept washing ashore, but the bodies of Fuller and her husband were never located. Legacy of Margaret Fuller In the years after her death, Greeley, Emerson, and others edited collections of Fullers writings. Literary scholars contend that Nathanial Hawthorne used her as a model for strong women in his writings. Had Fuller lived past the age of 40, there’s no telling what role she might have played during the critical decade of the 1850s. As it is, her writings and the conduct of her life served as an inspiration to later advocates for women’s rights.

Interpretations of Confucianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Interpretations of Confucianism - Essay Example The next broad issue which was brought up in the context of a discussion of Confucianism is ecological sustainability. It was rather surprising for me to learn that this aspect of the world is engaged in the consideration of abstract ethical values. However, I agree that the current state of affairs and the way the humanity treats the nature stands for lack of correct understanding of one’s role in the world. In other words, the ongoing process of climate change, as well as negative effects that industrial production has on the environment, shows the mankind is not able to organize its activity properly. This means that the above-mentioned situations should be seen as a sign that the humanity advanced in the wrong direction.While Confucianism does not hold specific advice with regard to ecological improvement, some of its provisions may be interpreted in a way that would help to save the world. Indeed, one can hardly argue that the harmony which is brought by this teaching int o the society might also be extended towards the relationship between people and nature. As a result, the global climatic problems that are currently witness might be seen as conflicts between the two parties.Another issue that was brought up in the discussion is the economic problems that the global community is currently facing. It is quite understandable that issuing more money will not defeat global poverty. In addition to that, economic development of one part of the world will not lead to any improvements in a different one.

Report on the book Great Leaders Grow by Ken Blanchard Essay

Report on the book Great Leaders Grow by Ken Blanchard - Essay Example Choosing the book was on the basis of past experiences where the authors have written other books pertaining leadership styles while sessions with the media caused their awareness. According to the book’s title, I expect to learn more ways of becoming a great leader and the different leadership styles present in the business sectors. I also expect to gain knowledge that will help me clarify the debate that argues whether a leader is born or made. The book has portrayed several objectives through character evaluation. The main purpose of the book according Blanchard is to create awareness on the strategies and procedures of becoming a great leader (Blanchard and Miller 3). It is evident through how the authors have defined the acronym GROW. It includes the four steps that should be followed by potential leaders towards growth and become great leaders. The meanings have been allocated to different chapters in the book. The letter "G" represents ‘Gaining Knowledge to help the leaders develop their skills. There are different ways that are illustrated in the book on how to help an individual obtain information at workplaces and organizations. Primarily, is to understand an individual’s personal strengths and weaknesses (Blanchard and Miller 33). The character Blake has been used to share his personal weaknesses with Debbie to help him get a job and become a leader. Once they are highlighted, the leader should seek solutions for their weaknesses to ensure there are no setbacks in the leadership process. After a personal exploration, the individual should try to understand other people in lower levels of the business (Blanchard and Miller 44). It will help in gathering knowledge on tastes and preferences of the followers in case the person is appointed as a leader. A great leader should also be open to change and at all time be a leadership student. Leadership is a continuous process and a leader should be ready to get new ideas

Issues in Family business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Issues in Family business - Essay Example A family business is different from a traditional business because the business stakeholders are related to each other unlike the conventional business where stakeholders are individuals and not related by blood. Secondly, in a family business there are three primary roles and they are family, ownership and business. The family means relationships, i.e. mom, dad, son etc, ownership means who owns the business (who are the primary stockholders) and business means people who work at the business. Since, the business is tied together with more than just professional attitudes the day to day functioning of the business is not as easy as it seems. Conflicts occur more in family businesses as compared to the traditional business and these conflicts are extremely hard to resolve especially if there are close blood relations (Family Business Conflict Resolution). With emotions playing a vital role in decision making, not everything is simple as it may seem. While traditional business success can be judged by a lot factors which include use of technology, level and capability of resources, growth opportunities, using electronic commerce for business, customer satisfaction, customer retention and the company’s market share (Top 7 critical Business Success Factors 2000). Family business can only be judged using special factors that take into consideration the dynamics of the family business. One of the most important factors in accessing the success of a family business is to determine whether work boundaries are specified or not. For the smooth running of a business it is necessary that the roles of individuals are well defined and communicated (Essentials for Family Business Success). In a family business it is easy that roles may often be neglected or might not even be defined. In such situations a single person gets overburdened with work while the others simply remain absent from work.

Competitive analysis of the Nigerian telecoms industry

Competitive analysis of the Nigerian telecoms industry I shall discuss the Nigerian Telecoms industry with particular reference to mobile telephony and data transmission via handhelds. My emphasis would be on the period post liberalization of the industry from the monopoly of the state owned carrier , Nitel. I focus on the structure, the key players in it and the competitive forces at play in the industry, leading to a discussion on how best a new entrant can come into this industry and a summary of recommendations. Structure of the Market Since the mid 80s, M-Tel, a subsidiary of Nitel the national carrier has enjoyed a monopoly of the Nigeria Mobile telephony industry, providing just 40,000 connected lines to subscribers nationwide (Doyle McShane, 2001, p. 10). The establishment of the sectors independent regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in 1999 (Corporate Nigeria, 2010, p. 152)and the award in January 2001, via an auction, of three GSM spectrum licenses to MTN, CIL ( aka GLO) and Econet Wireless Nigeria Ltd liberalized the market. Today the market is made of primarily the five GSM companies, GLO, M-Tel, MTN, Airtel ( formerly Zain), Etisalat and 4 key CDMA companies, Visafone, Starcomms, Multilinks and Zoom. Last week, Visafone announced the takeover of Multilinks and have commenced their post-merger integration exercise. There are indications that further consolidation especially within the fringe CDMA companies is imminent. Fig 1 below highlights the relative market share within the key pl ayers. PESTLE Analysis of the Market; Political: Nigeria is in the middle of an election that has attracted so much interest (Mordi Versi, 2011, p. 24) initial signs indicate the process will be fairest in the history of the country (Asante, 2011)and could lead to emergence of a more stable, progressive democracy (Obayiuwana, 2011). An active and free media continues to challenge the politicians to higher standards of governance. Economic The local currency the naira has held steady against the dollar at N150 to USD 1, curbing inflationary tendencies (Corporate Nigeria, 2010, p. 34). However, inflation continue to be in double digits. GDP is estimated at $357.2 billion PPP , no. 32 in the Global table of PPP. Listed on Goldman Sachs Next Eleven world economies in 21st Century, Nigeria is a country with huge growth potentials. (Corporate Nigeria, 2010). Debt relieve through the Paris Club significantly increases the countries ability to invest in much needed infrastructure e.g power, roads, education and health (BMI, Q1-2011, p. 9) Socio-Cultural At 923,000 sq km of land, 250 ethnic groups, 521 languages, approximately 150million people (Corporate Nigeria, 2010, p. 12), Nigeria is huge and diversed and this diversity comes with its challenges with ethnic violence and sectional unrest. The country is also struggling with a poor reputation with corruption and internet fraud. The country has taken steps towards laundering her image with the set up of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which has arraigned 18 fraud syndicates, shut down 800 fraudulent websites, and over 5000 emails working in collaboration with Microsoft. (Corporate Nigeria, 2010) . With over 80% of the population below 40 years and 40% below 15 years, Nigeria is a young market. However, official unemployment rate is quoted as 19.7% , arguably, the real unemployment figures are much higher. Technology; With the arrival in Nigeria of MainOne, and Glo 1, two submarine fiber-optic high bandwidth cables linking Nigeria to Europe, complimenting the already existent SAT-1, data transmission becomes more affordable and easily accessible (BMI, Q1-2011, p. 23). The recent issue of four WiMAX licenses by NCC and existing 2.5G, 3G, CDMA2000, GPRS and UMTS technologies, wireless access will grow dramatically in the next 2-3 years. (Hosn, 2011) Legal and Regulatory The main law governing the Nigerian telecoms industry is the Nigerian Communications Act of July 2003 amending the Act of 1992 (Hosn, 2011, p. 7), this act ended the monopoly enjoyed by Nitel, created the regulatory body National Communications Commission ( NCC) and enabled the entry of more players into the market, leading to increased competition and a downward pressure on prices for mobile telephony services (Hosn, 2011, p. 17) Respect for Intellectual property (IP) rights is low and Legal protection is weak (BMI, Q1-2011, p. 10) Porter 5 Forces Model Analysis : The barriers to entry into this market are medium, with the key consideration being the liscense fees to be paid and potential investment in buildout of the network , depending on the model the entrant adopts, The Buyer Power is high, as intense competition and the choices now available to the customers lowers prices. The Regulators very aggressive drive to drive these prices even lower gives the customer more power. There are very few substitutes to mobile telephony in Nigeria, as the fixed lines are few and not widely adopted. Supplier power is as potential buyers of their goods is few and most of the telcos already have their prefered suppliers and its hard to unseat an incumbent. Competitive Intensity: The SIM Registration regulation passed by Nigerian perliament and the number portability planned for later in the years will significantly increase competition and increase churn, as it eases customers flight to quality service without the inconvinience of lossing your number (BMI, Q1-2011, p. 61) The table above highlights the fact that the Telecoms market in Nigeria is quite concentrated with HH Index of 2904.90 and a Concentration Ration of the top four player (CR4 )exceeding 90% which suggest that industry is susceptible to collusion and price fixing. In reality, this is not the case as the competition is intense and in fact there is an ongoing tarrif war in the Nigeria Telecoms market (Adebayo, 2011, p. 36) (Daniels, 2011, p. 64) however this predominately in the voice services (Ammar, 2011, p. 38). This competitive intensity has resulted in significant drop in cost of services and a corresponding drop in Average Revenue Per User ( ARPU), a key indicator of market profitability even as the customer base has grown dramatically as indicated in Figure 4. below. However, the downward trend of ARPU matches the upwards trend of growth in subscriber base for both voice and data services as shown in Figure 5 below. Although the penetration fo the voice service is very high, data service penetration is still in its infancy and growing much faster than voice services as evidenced by the growth of 3G phone and internet subscriptions. This trend is collaborated by Figure 5 in the trending up of data ARPS. Figure 6 also highlights the trending up of churn, which is likely to continue with the implementation of number portability planned for 2012 by the regulator. Number portability will significantly increase both incidental churn e.g. due financial contingencies, location or life style changes and deliberate churn e.g due pricing, poor customer service or network problems (Jahanzeb Jabeen, 2007, p. 122). Strengths and Weaknesses typically characterize internal situations of a business, but I shall discuss them from an industry structure perspective here. Strengths The mobile telecoms industry has continued to grow even with the introduction of compulsory SIM registration. By liberalizing the licensing scheme, NCC has made it easy for new fixed-wireless operators to enter the market even as it continues to keenly invest to achieve widespread connectivity in rural areas. An active and fairly free media is playing a key role in the transition to democracy, contributing to the ongoing peaceful election which has also been adjudged as the freest and fairest so far in the history of the country. With the country virtually debt free having benefited from the Paris Club debt relief initiative, there is real hope that with the right leadership, the countries infrastructure challenges will be addressed. A large, young population means a huge telecoms market and an abundant supply of cheap (albeit unskilled) labour, Weaknesses Poor state of infrastructure in the country increases the cost of building out networks and achieving optimum spread with resultant poor network quality and negative impact on customer growth and service usage, thus rural communities are poorly served. Price wars from intense competition have put downward pressure on ARPU rates. Country image is negative and corruption levels are high as Nigeria is placed at 134th out of 180 countries worldwide. Respect for Intellectual property rights is also low. Couple with this is the recent physical security risk to foreign workers in some regions of the country. Opportunities With no heavy debt servicing costs, Nigeria has the capacity to invest heavily in crucial infrastructure which will significantly lower the cost of doing business and eventually lower the cost of goods produced in country. A free and fair election and dividends from the ongoing efforts to tackle fraud and corruption will gradually improve the attractiveness of the Nigerian market and attract foreign investments even as the major operators continue to invest in developing the quality and reach of their network infrastructures, thus addressing service quality problems. The landing of several new submarine cables will make international bandwidth much cheaper enabling lower priced broadband services. New WiMAX licences and other technologies will make it easier to access the rural communities and unlock that market. Despite stepped up investment, the broadband penetration level is low. Mobile Telephony penetration at 50% still leaves significant growth potentials available to new entrants. The launch of mobile number portability will ease the ability of customers to change their service provider. Threats The introduction of compulsory mobile SIM registration for new customers in October 2010 will slow the growth experienced today in the sector. Probable removal of tax breaks for cellular operators will remove the incentives enjoyed by early-movers. Competition and regulatory measures are bringing down prices even as institutional invest continue to invest in the Nigerian market (e.g. South-Africas MTN, Indias Bharti Airtel and Etisalat of the UAE.) High levels of unemployment of a very young population presents a high risk of civil unrest which could be triggers by the current tension in the country as a result of the political wrangling and electioneering going on even as industrial action remains commonplace, and can disrupt normal business activity. Recommendations to potential new entrants Take a long term view Entrant into the Nigerian telecoms market at this time is a late-mover and would be exposed to a more informed and stronger regulator, tough competition from the early-movers and other late-movers, and a high cost of entry into the market (Ramamurti, 2000, p. 168) and as such should be cautious and not tempted to be too optimistic by the huge returns the early-movers made in Nigeria. Seek Alliances and Coopetition Opportunities. An entry strategy that seeks to create asset-light-virtual-operators (Turner, 2009, p. 449) by reducing significant investment in passive infrastructure e.g. towers, air-conditioning, generators and instead focuses on sharing these infrastructure with competition and shifts differentiation to quality of service and reach has been proven by Bharti Airtel (Prahalad Mashelkar, 2010, p. 136)to be quite a unique business model for developing economies, enabling cheaper cost of services and thus greater reach. Intensity of competition in the voice services will significantly reduce ARPU, however, the ongoing conversations around infrastructure sharing, the new licenses for the WiMAX technologies , the landing of MainOne and Glo1 submarine cables (BMI, Q1-2011, p. 49) all point to data, mobile broadband and value-added services being the next frontier of high growth in this market. MTN and Western Union have joined forces to introduce international remittances services to 21 countries in Africa excluding Nigeria (African Business, 2010, p. 6). The importance of this service in developing Africa is emphasized by Prof. Ophelia Mascarenhas et al quoted in (African Business, 2011, p. 6)as saying mobile phone firms should take a more serious approach to mobile banking servicesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦there is great potential for banking the unbankedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is of no use to the poor if the remittance of cash cannot be made because the services is still not available in both the urban and rural areas . The Central Bank of Nigeria is also churning out several policies and regulations to steer Nigerian banks towards inclusion of the unbanked population through electronic payment system. (Chima, 2011) Differentiate and Price Creatively Mobile applications with potential for social economic growth e.g. social networking applications, mobile banking, m-healthcare, m-education, m-policing, can help operators diversify their product base, generate extra revenue, attract new subscribers and lower churn rates (Kechiche, 2010). NCCs wire Nigeria (WiN) and State Accelerated Broadband Initiative (SABI) when completed will high bandwith broadband network throughout Nigeria, accelerating growth and ease of deployment of these mobile applications (Corporate Nigeria, 2010, p. 39). Value added services via mobile phones, e.g traffic policing in india (The Economist, 2009, p. 73)remain a huge opportunity in Nigeria (Nkanga, 2011) Prices will not fall as quickly with additional entry if customers value the differences enough to pay more to the firm that more closely serves their particular needs (Greenstein Mazzeo, 2006, p. 327) Make Pricing flexible and Price according to zones in Nigeria and ability to pay, offering combination of services and better matching prices and goods to the needs of the customers (Greenstein Mazzeo, 2006, p. 328). Look for opportunity to partner with equipment manufacturers to offer after sale services on user-end equipments, provide packages solutions that is viewed as a value added service and differentiates you from competition (Lal Strachan, 2007, p. 23) and possibly rental of infrastructure for transmission. Competing on price alone is not sustainable, there is often scope for differentiation based on quality of service, brand and support services and the inevitable flight to quality creates opportunity for premium pricing (Turner, 2009, p. 442). These are all benefits that come directly from a concentrated focus and deep understanding of a target market and response to their needs. Focus and Innovate Technology is one of the major determinants of change in the telecoms industry, along with the iterative liberalization in emerging markets that fuels aggressive competition, there is a need for key players in the industry to continual review their strategy for market and customer relevance (Lal Strachan, 2007, p. 22). This strategic adaptation is crucial in an emerging market characterized by environmental discontinuities, rapid changes and unpredictability. (Eunni, Post, Berger, 2005, p. 88) (Ramamurti, 2000) Late movers may quickly use newly available advanced technologies to their advantage (Kam, 2006, p. 502), not having the burden of sunk cost in built up network infrastructure, however the pace of changes in technologies in the telecom industry emphasizes the fact that these sort of advantages are short term and that enduring advantage would truly come from differentiation on quality of service.

Deception in Sophocles Philoctetes and Hesiods Theogony :: Deception Sophocles Hesiod Essays

Deception in Sophocles' Philoctetes and Hesiod's Theogony For many centuries, the art of deception has been a powerful tool for achieving goals, and it has spawned the ancient debate of the ends justifying the means. In the tragedy Philoctetes by Sophocles and in Hesiod's Theogony, there are many instances of deception, particularly on the part of men in the texts. For each of them, the deceit is justified as a means of building and maintaining a reputation or obtaining power. Ultimately, however, the use of deception results in putting the men in positions of further vulnerability. In Philoctetes, the character of Odysseus is portrayed as well accustomed to using deceit for personal gain without much consideration for morality or human compassion. He not only deceives Philoctetes himself, but he has the audacity to con Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles, into doing the same. Odysseus's first deception of Philoctetes happens before his second arrival on Lemnos with Neoptolemus. Odysseus and his crew maroon the injured Philoctetes on the island with no one to help him by sneaking away while he is asleep. Odysseus explains their reasons for abandoning him: We had no peace with him: at the holy festivals, we dared not touch the wine and meat; he screamed and groaned so, and those terrible cries of his brought ill luck on our celebrations (Phil. lines 6-9). No one is able to heal Philoctetes because his disease was inflicted on him by divine power. Nor does he have the self-control to keep quiet, even during religious ceremonies, and his lack of self-discipline reflects poorly on the group as a whole. Philoctetes's unrestrained howling during solemn occasions jeopardizes their dignity and their reputations as serious and powerful men. Odysseus returns to Lemnos only because he realizes that, in order to sack Troy, he must have the bow of Heracles which is in Philoctetes's possession.