Kurt Vonnegut A Canary In A Coal Mine Essays - Fiction, Literature

Kurt Vonnegut: A Canary in a Coal Mine Kurt Vonnegut Served as a sensitive cell in the organism of American Society during the 1960's. His work alerted the public about the absurdity of modern warfare and an increasingly mechanized and impersonal society in which humans were essentially worthless and degenerated. The satirical tone and sardonic humor allowed people to read his works and laugh at their own misfortune. Vonnegut was born on November 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, where he was reared. His father was an architect, as his grandfather had been. Though the family's fortune was eroded during the Depression-his father went without an architectural commission from 1929 to 1940-they were well-to-do. Kurt attended Shortridge High School, where he was the editor of the nations oldest daily high school paper, the Echo. (((high school quote))) Vonnegut was expected to become a scientist, and when he went to Cornell in 1940, he chose, at the urging of his father, to major in chemistry. (((college quote))) "Chemistry was everything then," he said. "It was a magic word in the thirties. The Germans, of course, had chemistry, and they were going to take apart the universe and put it together again. At Cornell, he was the managing editor and columnist for its daily paper, the Sun. Among . Among ng and put it together again. At Cornell, he was the managing editor and columnist for its daily paper, the Sun. Among . Among ng and put it together again. At Cornell, he was the managing editor and columnist for its daily paper, the Sun. Among . Among ng and put it together again. At Cornell, he was the managing editor and columnist for its daily paper, the Sun. Among . Among ng and put it together again. At Cornell, he was the managing editor and columnist for its daily paper, the Sun. Among interned as a prisoner of war i! n Dresden, Germany. It was here that he experienced what would later become the basis for one of his best-selling novels, Slaughterhouse-Five. "(Dresden) was the first fancy city I'd ever seen. Then a siren went off-it was February 13, 1945-and we went down two stories under the pavement into a big meat locker. It was cool there, with (animal) cadavers hanging all around. When we came up the city was gone." This experience, or rather, disaster, was the Allied firebombing of Dresden in which over 130,000 people, mostly citizens, died for no apparent reason. Despite the horror of the incident, he maintains that the experience did not change his way of thinking, but rather gave him another viewpoint from which to observe the absurdity and cruelty of the human race. "The importance of Dresden in my life has been considerably exaggerated because my book about it became a best seller." (p. 94 CWV) Vonnegut returned to the United States determined tp be a writer, and to deal with the experience of Dresden, though it was nearly 25 years before he was able to do so. In May of 1945 he married Jane Marie Cox. His first book, Player Piano, was published in 1952. It is an account of life in the future in a town called Ilium, NY, modeled on Schenectady, where Vonnegut, in his late 20's, worked as a public relations man for General Electric. The world that Player Piano envisions is run by computers, an idea which he came across while working at General Electric. Only those who can compete economically with the computers-those whose IQ qualifies them as managers or whose trades are not yet automated-are in any way free. Vonnegut was extremely opposed to this type of mechanization, which he saw as threatening and degrading to the dignity of the common man, and therefore, the human race as a whole. The novel's hero, Paul Proteus, proclaims, "I deny that there is any natural or div! ine law requiring that machines, efficiency, and organization should forever increase in scope, power and complexity..." Doing the book was enough to liberate Vonnegut from his job at G.E., a job that he truly despised. He quit and moved to Cape Cod in 1950. Player Piano sold just 3,500 copies, so for the next few years he was forced

Institutions and Politics

Institutions and Politics Introduction Politics is an integral aspect of every community in the contemporary world. It helps communities to determine the system of governance that suits their needs. Additionally, it helps communities to regulate their governments in order to achieve social, political, and economic objectives.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Institutions and Politics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Generally, engaging in politics involves articulating the governance issues that a country is grappling with (Crick, 2005, pp. 5-11). In this regard, the citizens and their leaders must actively participate in politics. This participation normally occurs through various institutions of politics. The focus of this paper will be the institutions that facilitate politics. In particular, it will answer the question: what sorts of institutions make politics successful? The answer to this question will be based on the premise that the ef ficacy of governance and politics depends on the quality of political institutions. The first part of the paper will define political institutions and various concepts of governance. The second part will discuss the roles of the institutions that facilitate politics. This discussion will lead to a conclusion concerning the influence of institutions on the success of politics. Definition of Key Terms Institutions of politics refer to the organizations whose roles include, but not limited to creation and implementation of laws; conflict resolution; formulation and implementation of governmental policies; and representation of the public (Hague Harrop, 2010, pp. 45-67). The main political institutions include the executive, legislature, bureaucracy, experts, political parties, and various types of regimes (governments). The executive is the organ of the government that has the authority and responsibility of executing the administrative functions of the state. The legislature refers t o a deliberative assembly that normally consists of elected members whose constitutional mandate includes making, amending, and repealing a country’s laws. Concisely, the parliament or the congress is the legislature. Bureaucracy refers to a professional body of skilled officials who serve in the public sector in a non-political capacity. Unlike politicians, bureaucrats are fulltime employees with permanent contracts. Experts are independent intellectuals with vast knowledge in specific fields such as law, political science, and development. These intellectuals are normally the main source of expert opinion. Political parties refer to organizations whose members have the same political ideologies or objectives, and strive to shape public policy by sponsoring the election of a candidate to a public office. The members of these parties include politicians and their followers or supporters. Finally, government or regime refers to the administrative organization that has been emp owered to regulate the public affairs of a country. The aforementioned institutions normally collaborate in order to achieve the socio-political objectives of a country.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Roles of Political Institutions Regime Types There are three main functions of the government. First, the government consolidates the funds that are usually spent on basic needs. In this regard, the government uses the consolidated funds to provide services such as healthcare, education, and security among others. Second, the government collects funds from the public and uses them to provide social insurance services. These services include unemployment benefits, food aid, and old age pension. Finally, the government formulates and enforces the laws that guide the relationships between individuals and institutions (Hague Harrop, 2010, pp. 15-22). The aim of this function is to promote fairness, equity, and harmony in the society. Executing these functions is a political process that heavily depends on the type of regime that is in charge of a country’s public affairs. In a totalitarian regime, the government has absolute authority over the populace. It controls nearly all aspects of public affairs and the private lives of the citizens. In this regard, a totalitarian regime is a threat to politics because it limits the participation of the public in decision-making. In most cases, a totalitarian regime influences the attitudes, values, and beliefs of the public in order to avert the tensions and dissent that might arise due to government failure. However, this strategy leads to sameness of opinion and infringement of the right to expression, thereby discouraging progressive politics. In an authoritarian regime, power is concentrated in the hands of the ruling elite. The leaders maintain their authority through political repression and sidelining potential challengers. This discourages political development and achievement of objectives such as transparency, accountability, and fulfilling the needs of the public (Crick, 2005, pp. 10-18). Election rigging is a common characteristic of an authoritarian regime. Furthermore, authoritarian leaders tend to disregard the law and pay little attention to public concerns. Political competition tends to be low or nonexistent in an authoritarian regime because the ruler has an indefinite political tenure. In a constitutional regime, the country’s laws limit the powers of the governors. Generally, the constitution defines the scope of good governance and politics. In this regard, politics is likely to be successful since the constitution protects the citizens’ right to expression and compels the government to execute its mandate. A democratic regime is associated with widespread participation in public affairs. The citizens have the right to choose their leaders and representatives at regular intervals, thereby promoting competitive politics.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Institutions and Politics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Democracy promotes progressive politics because citizens have the right to question their leaders. Besides, the government is accountable to the parliament, which has the authority to accept or reject proposed laws, decisions, and policies. One element of a democratic regime that promotes good politics is protection of civil rights (Crick, 2005, pp. 40-50). In particular, the leaders must operate within the law by making political decisions that conform to the constitution. The state cannot take away the citizens’ rights such as freedom of association, expression, and access to basic services. The politicians too have a right to express their opinions freely, to criticize the government, and to hold their campaigns without intimidation. H ence, democratic governments are likely to be more effective than totalitarian and constitutional regimes. Furthermore, a democratic regime provides the best environment for political development. The Executive The executive organizes the structures of authority that facilitate execution of the functions of the government. In most countries, the executive is responsible for the formation of the government by appointing members of the cabinet and holders of key positions in the public sector. The executive also plays an integral role in decision-making by issuing specific and general instructions concerning an existing or an imminent problem (Crick, 2005, pp. 7-17). Other roles of the executive include commanding the armed forces, representing the country in international functions, and pardoning offenders among others. The quality and the characteristics of the executive determine the success of politics. An authoritative executive is likely to discourage political development by ex cluding key stakeholders in the decision-making process. In authoritarian regimes, the executives hardly consult the opposition parties on national issues. Additionally, they use their excessive authority and state machinery to avert any form of political opposition. For example, President Mubarak used the emergency law in Egypt to reduce political competition. This law facilitated the detention and torture of anyone who opposed the government. Similarly, President Mursi has since acquired unlimited powers in order to control every aspect of Egyptians’ lives. Even though his performance as the executive falls short of the expectations of his citizens, he continues to use the police force to discourage expression of dissent. Democratic executives usually strive to ensure political inclusion. Furthermore, they have to serve the interest of the polity in order to be reelected. This implies that a democratic executive is likely to promote progressive politics. Charismatic leaders (executives) usually have great influence on the nature and evolution of politics. These leaders normally enjoy a lot of support in parliament. Hence, their political decisions are likely to sail through the approval process in parliament without much scrutiny. This leads to the adoption of ineffective policies and enforcement of laws that might serve the interest of the executive at the expense of the public (Hague Harrop, 2010, pp. 100-150).Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In some countries, the executives depend on corruption, as well as, divide and rule tactics to perpetuate their political ideologies and leadership. For example, in most African countries the executives normally appoint politicians to cabinet positions in exchange of unconditional support in parliament and during elections. Hence, progressive politics have little or no chance of success in a regime that is led by a corrupt executive. The Bureaucracy The bureaucracy consists of civil servants whose main responsibility is to implement the decisions of the executive or the government. The roles of the bureaucracy include the following. To begin with, the bureaucracy participates in policy formulation. Traditionally, this function was the sole responsibility of the executive (Hague Harrop, 2010, pp. 30-70). However, in the contemporary society the bureaucracy helps in policy formulation due to two reasons. First, most executives are armatures with little or no technical skills. Consequ ently, they cannot design effective policies on their own. In this regard, the executives have to obtain expert advice from the bureaucracy. Second, the executive and politicians normally entrust the bureaucracy with some aspects of the policy formulation process in order to enhance efficiency. Concisely, seeking help from the bureaucracy helps politicians to save time and resources in the process of policy formulation. The bureaucracy also executes some legislative functions. For example, a department of the government can make sub-laws, but within the scope of existing Acts of Parliament. The roles of the bureaucracy have significant impacts on politics. Concisely, the effectiveness of the bureaucracy in policy formulation and implementation determines the success of political processes such as elections. A bureaucracy whose members possess advanced skills is likely to help the executive to make informed political decisions. One factor that usually leads to government failure is p oliticization of the bureaucracy. In developing countries with poor governance systems, civil servants are usually appointed through nepotism and corruption rather than merit. In this case, the bureaucracy tends to lack the expertise that it needs in order to achieve its mandate. A politicized bureaucracy usually serves the political interests of the executive rather than the public. For instance, the bureaucracy can be instructed by the executive to implement a given development project in order to please the public. However, the project might not be beneficial to the public. A malpractice of this nature normally prompts political activism and debate among opposition leaders in a democratic regime (Crick, 2005, pp. 40-52). However, the opposition leaders in a totalitarian regime might not question such malpractices for fear of political repressions. One of the major strengths of the bureaucracy is that its members have permanent employment contracts. This ensures continuity in the implementation of policies. For example, the bureaucracy often continues to run the government after the dissolution of the parliament and the cabinet, thereby sustaining on-going political processes. In this regard, it ensures that newly elected regimes adopt the policies of their predecessors. Nonetheless, the bureaucracy cannot succeed without the support of the politicians. This is because its members are not elected. Thus, they are hardly aware of the needs and aspirations of the public. The legislature The legislature is one of the most important institutions since it facilitates politics at the grassroots and the national level. The first role of the legislature is to represent the public. Hence, the public channels its complaints and concerns to the government through this institution. The legislature is the best political institution for articulating the concerns of the public because of its diverse membership. The second role of the legislature is making laws. This role is important because it facilitates adoption of laws that encourage healthy politics and fulfillment of the citizens’ needs (Hague Harrop, 2010, pp. 160-200). Finally, the legislature provides oversight on the operations of the government. This involves monitoring the operations of the executive for efficiency, integrity, and commitment. The ability of the legislature to promote political development depends on the following factors. First, the formal powers of the legislature determine the extent to which it can facilitate politics. A legislature with an absolute authority to enact laws directly is likely to facilitate progressive politics. On the contrary, the success of politics is limited in a regime whose legislature is controlled by the executive. In this case, the legislature will merely act as a rubber stamp whose responsibility is to endorse decisions or choices made by various arms of the government. Second, the capacity of the legislature to use its formal powers de termines its contribution to politics. The legislature is likely to promote political development if its members have the capacity to manage parliamentary activities such as scheduling debates and drafting laws. The effectiveness of parliamentary committees, availability of expertise and members’ ability to make decisions also determine the extent to which the legislature contributes to politics. In weak democracies, parliamentary committees tend to be ineffective since the members lack the technical skills that are necessary in decision-making. In some cases, the committee members accept bribes in order to support or reject certain policies and recommendations. Third, the available political space determines the effectiveness of the legislature. Authoritarian regimes provide little political space, thereby jeopardizing the legislature’s efforts to perform its oversight and lawmaking functions. A democratic system usually provides adequate political space (Crick, 2005, pp. 41-50). This enables the legislature to be very assertive and independent. The resulting improvement in the effectiveness of the legislature facilitates political processes such as policy formulation, lawmaking, and articulation of the citizens’ problems. The Experts In modern democracies, experts operate as independent political actors. They work in collaboration with civil societies, interest groups, and social movements among others. Experts are think tanks whose main role is to help the government to make sound decisions (Crick, 2005, pp. 19-36). They participate in policy formulation by providing expert advice on technical issues. For example, most countries usually hire independent consultants to spearhead the process of drafting new constitutions. Experts also play an important role in the provision of civic education and articulation of social and political problems. In this regard, they discuss the issues that the country is grappling with and present policy rec ommendations to the government for action. The quality of the experts in terms of their skills and knowledge determines the extent to which they can influence politics. Possession of adequate skills and knowledge enables the experts to make positive contributions to political development. The capacity of the experts to utilize their skills and knowledge is also important. Experts who are empowered to express their opinions without fear of political repression normally improve the politics of their country. Concisely, they generate new political ideas and empower their fellow citizens to focus on progressive politics. Political Parties A well functioning political system must have effective parties. In the contemporary society, availability of adequate political parties is a necessary requirement for the formation of a democratic system of governance (Crick, 2005, pp. 40-50). The parties mobilize the citizens and facilitate their participation in political processes. In this regard, they socialize and educate the electorate on issues such as the functioning of the electoral system. They also obtain opinions from the public and channel it to the government. In most cases, the political parties aggregate and articulate the concerns of their members before contacting the government for help. Finally, political parties recruit and train candidates who compete for elective positions in general elections. A political party can only perform these functions if it has effective organizational structures. The party must have different levels of management that are responsible for the execution of various tasks. The party can only make meaningful contributions to politics if its leaders are able to create and implement effective manifestos. It is apparent that parties with corrupt leaders cannot encourage progressive politics. The party must have adequate funds in order to make positive contributions in politics. For example, parties cannot sponsor political campaigns and voter education if they have inadequate funds. Conclusion Politics is facilitated by various institutions, which include the executive, legislature, bureaucracy, experts, and political parties among others (Crick, 2005, pp. 5-16). Each of these institutions focuses on specific aspects of various political processes. For example, the executive formulates policies, whereas the legislature provides oversight on the implementation process. The effectiveness of these institutions is determined by their qualities. These qualities include the integrity of the members, the capacity of the institution to execute its mandate, availability of resources, and the vision of the institution among others. The existence of these qualities enables an institution to make positive contributions to political development. This leads to the conclusion that the efficacy of governance and politics depends on the quality of political institutions. References Crick, B. (2005). In Defence of Politics. London: Continuum. Hague, R., Harrop, M. (2010). Political Science: A Comparative Introduction. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

What Warren Buffets eating habits can teach you about your career

What Warren Buffets eating habits can teach you about your career Have you ever heard the phrase â€Å"you are what you eat†? It may be a well-worn clichà ©, but it still contains an important point: your diet is a reflection of your behavior, habits, and routine, which all go a long way into how you operate in other facets of your life- including your career and professional pursuits. It’s true: looking at someone’s diet can give you a real glimpse into the rest of his or her life. According to a recent article by Entrepreneur, a good diet powers a strong mind, serves to properly fuel you as you pursue your daily goals, and helps boost your focus, memory, and sharpness. So, if you’re looking to get on the fast track to success, why not try to follow in the footsteps of someone who has already made it there?You couldn’t choose a more successful person to focus on than Warren Buffet, legendary investor and one of the world’s wealthiest individuals. It can be a challenge to quickly pinpoint why Buffet has ac hieved such stratospheric levels of success in a field where so many others have tried and failed, but perhaps a glimpse into his eating habits might help shed some light. Keep reading!It may surprise you that Warren Buffet is a self-proclaimed junk food junky. It’s true- when asked, he has no problem jokingly telling others that he has the diet of a typical six-year-old. Sugary sodas, processed meals, and snack foods that would not be considered â€Å"nutritious† factor largely into his daily eating routine. Not exactly what the average nutritionist would endorse if you want your mind and body working at their optimum levels.However, if you think this is a ringing endorsement of unhealthy eating habits and a green light for you to live on junk food in order to achieve your career goals, think again! While we aren’t saying that the secret to success lies at the bottom of a bag of potato chips or a glass of soda, there are some hidden lessons to be learned from h ow Warren Buffet makes eating choices in his life.Don’t follow trends.It’s tough to go through an entire day without hearing about the dangers of junk food and why eating all sorts of healthy meals or getting on the latest fad diets are essential for getting your life on track and keeping it there. In fact, it takes a really strong-willed person who marches to the beat of their own drummer to ignore these messages. And that’s part of what makes Buffet a success- he doesn’t follow trends when he eats or invests, he sticks to his instincts and what he knows best, and he thinks outside of the box when making decisions. You won’t see Buffet following the latest trends when he eats a meal or makes an investment decision, and not following the crowd has helped him achieve success.Pursue what you like.Buffet likes junk food and processed meals, so that’s what he reaches for when he’s hungry. Simple. His approach to life is a lot like his app roach to meal choices. He follows his passion and pleasures, one of which is investing, and it has helped him achieve sustained, long-term success over many decades. Buffet is well into his 80s and he’s still going strong!Eat quickly and get on with your life.Buffet does not spend a lot of time and effort on making complicated meal choices. When he’s hungry, he grabs something quick and close by and moves on to other more important tasks and challenges in his day. The truth is, there are a limited number of hours in a day, and successful people like Buffet would rather spend precious time working towards achieving goals than planning nutritious meals. The lesson here is make the most of your time and devote your energy towards achieving your goals.Here’s the bottom line- a diet full of junk food won’t make you an instant success like Buffet, but following the thought process he employs to various areas in his life, from food to investing, can help you ach ieve your goals. Staying focused and committed, following your instincts instead of trends, and pursuing your passion might be the right recipe for success in your life!

ANALYISI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ANALYISI - Essay Example Orwell is hopeless and confused (Orwell, 2003). The world he desires does not want to trust him, yet the world he hates seeks to absorb him completely within its systems. Orwell’s feeling is common to people who wish to reject their environments but realize that they represent lone voices. His troubled conscience cannot adequately reconcile with the horrors of colonial oppression. It becomes difficult for him to accommodate both worlds. He wishes to place himself at the service of the Burmans and to challenge the racist views that are resident in both sides of the racial divide. He expresses an overwhelming sense of loss and confusion. He is lost in a world of binary opposites between the colonial oppressor and the dominated Burmans. Orwell strives to create his own private world, in which he can engage with both worlds on an impartial level. The torments he suffers from the Burmans and the blame he incurs from his own race appear to take a toll on his perception of the world as cruel and difficult. The very act of shooting an elephant provides him with an opportunity to reconcile with a hostile society. This particular feeling shows on his element at the tense moment when he contemplates on whether or not to kill the stray elephant. He was not particularly convinced that his actions were appropriate but felt an immense force from the gathering crowd that expected him to carry out the shooting. On this score, his decisions were subject to mental pressure. He became a puppet of the population, with the realization that any further restraint would prove his distance and confirm the rift that existed between his colonialist race and the race of the oppressed Burmans. The moral decision that he chose was consistent with his inner guilt. From his own feelings, Orwell shows that he had purged himself from the guilt of racism and oppression. The situation he confronts is the important moment when he has to dispel the racial

2 options will send Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

2 options will send - Essay Example Many people are religious and have established a relationship between their social existence in the society and the unexplainable powerful force. Given that the society is made of culture and religion, it can be concluded that there is an existing relationship between material culture and religion. As examined in this article, religion might be impoverished by ignoring the material aspect of culture (Smart 1998, p. 51). Culture is used by people in the society to refer to symbols, customs and habits of a given group of people in the society. It is also used in some cases to depict things passed on from one generation to the other in the society. Material culture is a term employed in the description of the archeological artifacts of the society. Culture is identifiable to the behaviors and actions of the members of a society. For instance, the Irish culture could be said to be identified by their language accent and religion, which is Catholic. Therefore, other things in the society such as language, beliefs, norms and symbolism could also identify culture (Foucault & Carrette (1999, p. 86). Material culture involves material things and symbols used in a given society. The material things include artifacts that are archeologically identified and utilized for various purposes as identified by the society. Some of the materials culture identified with some cultures includes the homes that people live in, businesses, churches and Penticton. On the contrary, to the material culture, non-material culture may also include the values of people and morals apart from the language, norms and symbols as indicated earlier. The physical substances representing culture do not work alone and require non-material culture. For instance, seeing objects does not make meaning unless one reads and understands the meaning of the object, something facilitated using language (Smart 1998, p. 75). The examination of

The Biochip and Advancements in Medical Treatment Essay -- Exploratory

The Biochip and Advancements in Medical Treatment Advances in microchips occur daily, but a recent advance in the area can only be called revolutionary. No, these are not a more advanced breed of thin silicon wafers, better known as computer chips. They are called biochips. A blending of silicon technology with biology has produced a groundbreaking new technology. It can be used to tell how actively a gene works, whether it carries any mutations, and even aid in the human genome project, a long term project to map the entire human genome. The biochip is a square of glass about the area of a dime. It is carpeted with DNA probes. The probes are oligonucleotides, strands of DNA six to nine bases long. A long strand of DNA of an unknown sequence is to be tested to determine its sequence. First, it is fragmented and then washed over the chip. The fragments only attach to their complementary oligonucleotides on the chip. This is because bases only pair with complementary bases. Adenine bonds with thymine, and cytosine bonds with guanine. The next step is to analyze the reactions between the bases and determine the sequence of base pairs. This will give a clear picture of the formerly unknown DNA. The biochip uses fluorescent tags to determin e where unknown fragments attach to their complementary strands on the chip. A microscope attached to a computer "reads" the patterns of fluorescence and gives the sequences of the unknown strand. Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, consists of various sequences of four organic compounds called bases, and some proteins. Abbreviated, the initials of the bases are A, C, G, and T. The building blocks of all life, they encode thousands of genes. The... ...d over this chip, and the places where there are weak hybridizations, or base pair bonding, a less bright tag would indicate a genetic mutation. One would be able to determine the exact place on that person's gene where the person has a genetic abnormality. An obvious use of the new technology will be as the earliest possible screening method for cancer. All genetic disorders could be tested for within a matter of minutes. With more advanced technology, such as what is happening with computer chips today, all genetic disorders could be checked for using but a single chip. Other chips could be used to determine how tall a person is to grow, whether they will bald earlier, or any number of applications. Obviously the technology will also be used in animal studies. The only limitation to the advancement of this innovative new chip is the imagination.

Describe the Influence of Two Contrasting Economic Environments

P5-Describe the influence of two contrasting economic environments on business activities within a selected organisation Within my selected organisation, Tesco, there are 2 important economic environments that have an influence on business activities. Both economic environments will have a different way on affecting Tesco. The economic environments are growth and recession. Economic growth occurs when more goods are being produced and consumed, and incomes are rising. A growth company tends to have very profitable reinvestment opportunities for its own retained earnings.Economic growth will affect Tesco as it would increase their profits due to more people wanting more products and wanting to spend their money. As people have more money to spend on luxuries instead of the essentials it means that the higher value products will be brought. For example the Andrex toilet rolls will be brought instead of Tesco value, because of this it means more money is being spent in the store which i s an advantage for Tesco. Recession occurs when people involved in business become more cautious and: * Customers cut back on spending, and start to save more Manufactures and sellers cut back on their orders, produce fewer goods and start to cut back costs in general, including by laying off workers. Because economic recessions will put Tesco’s customers under money worries they will only be purchasing from the store, instead of what they want; only what they need. Examples on what Tesco customers would want include: chocolate, ice cream, sweats, and walker’s crisps instead of Tesco value, the luxuries. Examples on what Tesco customers need include: toothpaste, milk, bread and more, just the essentials.P6-Describe how political, legal and social factors are impacting upon the business activities of the selected organisations and their stakeholders A PESTLE analysis for Tesco must consider all the important external factors impacting on the company. These factors may h ave political, economic, sociological, technological, legal or environmental dimensions. The political analysis must include the impact of local and national government, and the international situation. The Economic analysis needs to investigate the influences of the stock market and tax increases, amongst many other monetary matters.Sociological factors are difficult to suss out. We swim in the â€Å"water† of our culture without recognising it as an important determining factor. And sociological analysis is all about analysing the background culture. Technological factors are usually easier to spot, because new technologies involve change, and change is always noticed. For instance, online shopping has had a major impact on Tesco's recent success. The change created by technological advances often lead to legal problems, which is why legal analysis is always an important part of a PESTLE analysis.Tesco's operations obviously have a significant environmental impact, from fos sil fuel use to packaging issues. Reducing the demand on the planet is a challenge for any big company. A PESTLE Analysis for Tesco must look at all the six factors we have mentioned. Here they are again, with examples of each: * Political: an increase in unemployment due to a downward turn in the world economy. * Economic: impact on sales of the credit crunch. * Sociological: an increase in immigration from Eastern Europe resulting in a demand for new goods. * Technological: how can Tesco take full advantage of the World Wide Web? Legal: how can Tesco avoid legal opposition to expanding into new high streets? * Environmental: – climate change is affecting supply and transport, how can Tesco adapt? In summary, any PESTLE Analysis for Tesco must consider all external factors if it has any hope of capturing the essence of the company. Political- Marketing decisions are strongly influenced by changes in the political environment. Changes such as new legislations put forward by c ouncils and governments, not just in the UK but also in the other thirteen countries that Tesco operates in.One legislation that affects Tesco rather predominantly is planning permission; a law heavily regulated in the UK, and as Tesco has approximately 2. 75 million meters of shop space (including car parks and stock rooms). Owning so much space and with so many large superstores can make this factor a very difficult one to overcome. Legal- The economy is different worldwide and fluctuates constantly, which makes this factor so complex for large multi-nationals like Tesco to tackle.To maintain maximum profitability overall, Tesco needs to raise its prices in accordance with inflation rates. If however prices are raised higher than the rate of inflation, customers may be urged to go somewhere else or spend less, and if the prices aren't raised high enough, they may not compensate with the rate of inflation and decrease the products profit margin. As there are people on different bud gets, Tesco tries to accommodate for everyone, which is why over recent years they have introduced many different price-based ranges. Social-Social attitudes of today’s society have changed the way people live, people now are working longer hours to sustain the financial demand that is needed in-order to keep up a higher standard of living, â€Å"One quarter of working men and 11% of working women in the UK now work more than 50 hours per week† . This is a social problem because it encourages people to eat ‘fast food’ type products such as pasties, sausage rolls, pre-packaged sandwiches and microwavable take-away items such as burgers ; hot dogs etc, which all have high percentages of saturated fats, sugars and salts.These ‘fast foods’ are eaten because of their convenience and due to time shortages from working longer hours these food are the easy option. This implicates less healthy diets and obesity in the UK population. M2-Compare the chal lenges to selected business activities within a selected organisation, in two different economic environments [IE] Tesco delivered a 10% increase in profits to a mighty ? 3. 4bn and chief executive Sir Terry Leahy declared the retailer â€Å"stronger than it was before the recession†.There is no single secret to Tesco's success, but at the heart of the company is its focus on customers. Its mantra is to look after them, and everything else will look after itself. It sounds simple, but few companies are as focused. Size also matters. Selling more means better buying terms – and that equals lower prices and/or higher profit margins. Lower prices then bring in bigger sales volumes. Tesco, like so few of its high street rivals, has succeeded in making itself largely classless, with price ranges designed to cater across the board.Britain's biggest retailer Tesco has called on the Bank of England to cut interest rates on, despite the fact the supermarket giant has yet to see any impact of the slowdown in the economy after reporting an increase in like-for-like sales. Overall the business in the UK was making good progress, and that Tesco Direct and tesco. com had both delivered â€Å"very strong† growth. The international business was rapidly expanding and that Asia had performed particularly well with a 29pc increase in sales. Tesco is on track to open new stores in the international business which will provide more than 7m sq ft of new trading floor space this year.Tesco have maintained pleasing progress, overall sales growth has strengthened in the period, with International delivering a particularly strong performance, and the UK has again done well, with good growth in our core food categories. M3-Analyse how political, legal and social factors have impacted on the two contrasting organisations Tesco will experience many issues when it comes to political, legal and social factors. All businesses will experience similar problems even one tha t is in a different market, for example Apple would experience similar, however not the exact same problems as Tesco.One political factor that will impact Tesco is the Consumer Protection Act 1987. This is a set of laws and regulations that were designed to protect consumers from faulty and/or unsatisfactory goods bought. As an example – you buy a stereo from Tesco and within 2 days, the sound distorts and crackles, this is not fit for purpose as the stereo was designed to allow you (the consumer) to listen to your music, which you cannot do satisfactorily. You are therefore entitled to return the item for a replacement or refund but only within a set time i. e. 0 days, if the item became faulty after 30 days, the store you bought it from are entitled to send it for repair. This could impact Tesco because just say they had a poor supplier then they would have many a customer returning demanding refunds or repairs which therefore will cause Tesco to lose out and it could cause them to lose customers as it’ll give them bad customer satisfaction. Apple could definitely relate to this as they sell many electrical products which could go faulty at any time, an example could be if they sold an iPhone and the consumer could not make calls on it or connect it to iTunes.Although they are a huge company who promise that there will be no faultiness in their products and offer warranties, it is not one hundred per cent certain that their products will work efficiently. There will be the odd product that will be faulty. For employment legislations, the government encourages retailers to provide a mix of job opportunities from flexible, lower-paid and locally-based jobs (working in the stores) to highly-skilled, higher-paid and centrally-located jobs (working in, probably London, being a part of a department.An example would be working for the the Tesco marketing team). Also to meet the demand from population categories such as students, working parents and se nior citizens. Tesco understands that retailing has a great impact on jobs and people factors (new store developments are often seen as destroying other jobs in the retail sector as traditional stores go out of business or are forced to cut costs to compete), being an inherently local and labor-intensive sector.Tesco employs large numbers of; student, disabled and elderly workers, often paying them lower rates. In an industry with a typically high staff turnover, these workers offer a higher level of loyalty and therefore represent desirable employees. Apple D2-Evaluate how future changes in economic political, legal and social factors, may impact on the strategy of a specified organisation