Ignorance Is the Lock, Knowledge Is the Master Key Essay -- Law

Throughout childhood to adulthood, one may oftentimes hear the quote â€Å"knowledge is power†. It is a quote usually drilled into the heads of elementary to college-aged kids in order to encourage his or her pursuit of an education. As much as privileged students roll his or her eyes at the utterance of this quote, it is hard to deny the weight of truth in this quote when examining the history of many countries. This is especially true during times of oppressive rule. Freedom of press, information, and lines of communication are usually the main thing to be restricted when there is a hunger for complete control over a group of people. The shadow of ignorance is used to blind the oppressed and keep/hide them in the dark from any potential aid. In 1989, student demonstrations broke out in Beijing, China in Tiananmen Square. Since the 1970s, China was going through economic reforms under Deng Xiaoping, China’s leader. As time went on complaints were being made over inflation, low job opportunities, and suspected corruption in the national party. The Communist governments of Eastern Europe were failing, causing unrest and lost of faith amongst the Chinese citizens. The breaking point was â€Å"the death of reformist CCP general secretary Hu Yaobang† on April 15th of 1989 (Online). Students congregated in the square to mourn Yaobang’s death. According to the Berkshire Encyclopedia of China the government-run press fabricated what truly going on and attempted to taint the image of the protesters: The party mouthpiece, People’s Daily, published an editorial on 26 April accusing a â€Å"handful of plotters† of creating â€Å"turmoil† with the object of overthrowing the regime. The next day, 200,000 students from over forty universities marched to the squ... ...ite the wicked mistreatment of the slave. Despite being unhappy with their situation, the slaves could not effectively rebel because they did not have enough knowledge and information to do so. Knowledge truly is a power that can be used to help you or used against you. It can help you be in control or be controlled. For this reason, freedom of press and speech are constantly being fought for in many civil wars. Without knowledge, a person is subjected to the control of a person with greater knowledge. Works Cited James, C.L.R. The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’Overture and the San Domingo Revolution. 2nd ed. Revised. New York: Vintage, 1989. "Tiananmen Square." Berkshire Encyclopedia of China: Modern and Historic Views of the World's Newest and Oldest Global Power. Great Barrington: Berkshire Publishing Group, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 10 May 2012.

On the First of October 2017

On the first of October 2017, the Catalonian president Carles Puigdemont held a succession vote to declare the territory of Catalonia as independent from Spain. Ninety percent of votes were in favor for independence (Catalonia). Later in the month, on the 27th of October, Puigdemont declared the northwestern territory of Spain as independent. The Spanish government responded by suspending the Catalonian government and managing the region under the central government, which is justified under Article 155 of their constitution which entitles that the government of Spain can â€Å"take the measures necessary† to â€Å"protect general interests† (The Spanish). But the succession forces in Catalonia are trying to challenge the Spanish Constitution over the illegality of their independence. The question is if these blockades imprinted in the Constitution are moral to be put into place. This situation of political chaos has escalated to the extent where the former regional leaders of Catalonia are either in jail in Madrid or in exile in Belgium and if they were to return to the region of Catalonia, they would face prosecution for treason (Minder). However, this has not stopped the succession forces in the region to try and put Puigdemont and his cabinet back into office. The controversy in these situations lies on a case to case basis. The campaign in territories seeking independence is based on the prosecution and legality of the laws set in place by the mother country. In Kurdistan, the Kurds want to succeed from the Iraqi government due to the oppression the people have had from historically being manipulated by other governments (Ali). The debate on the independence referendum in Scotland is based around the kingdom's decision to remain part of the European Union or leave with the rest of the United Kingdom. To reach a decision in these debates, one must look into the social, political, and economic viewpoints for the morality of the independence situation for these territories. Initially, â€Å"the Kurds have long fought for their freedom, and have faced unimaginable oppression as a people† (Ali). This is the view of the 35 million Kurdish peoples long fight for independence starting back in World War Two. However, this movement has found conflict both in this region of Iraq and in the Western powers. In the case of Kurdistan, the debate if the territory should have their own state and if the United States and the other Western powers should support the Kurdish independence movement. Mohammed Ali's opinion on this, the referendum in 2014 followed disputes on the sharing of oil proceeds between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi Government (Ali). This has had lukewarm reception by the Western governments. The Kurdish people have just reasoning and have proven reliable, so why would governments want to inhibit this process? So why, would the vote for independence in the region be condemned. Overall, Mohammed Ali is a journalist for the Independent and has articles about the situation in Kurdistan. Ali's bias, as formally stated, makes his statements very questionable and focused on his side of the argument. Krishnadev Calamur is a senior editor at The Atlantic and focuses mostly on news reports in the Middle East and Asia and on the United States involvement, which adds a sense of bias for Kurdistan to his articles.Subsequently, â€Å"Scotland is being dragged out of the EU against our will,† and this underlines the need for Scotland to have self-determination (Clock). The issue in Scotland and their movement towards succession is based around the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. Some of the nationalist parties in Scotland are organizing a referendum after the parliament of the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union (Clock). These parties say that Scotland had little say in this matter and they think that Scotland would have better hopes of governing itself inside of the European Union (Clock). The increased following on the nationalist parties and the formation of a referendum would need to happen sooner than later if any movement is to happen in this territory. To analyze, The Herald newspaper in Scotland backed a no vote in the independence referendum but proclaims itself to be unbiased from any political belief. The newspaper is the eighth oldest newspaper in the world and has political bias depending on which authors are working for The Herald. With all of this noted, it can be inferred that the bias of this article is to the nationalistic side of the Scotland argument due to bold statements against leaving the European Union.In Catalonia, the constitution instituted Article 155 in Catalonia to stop the region from leaving Spain. This independence movement has hurt Catalonia as a whole. â€Å"Unemployment, retail sales, and tourist numbers all came in worse than expected for the end of 2017 while the growth of the Catalan economy lagged behind the nation as a whole† (Savitsky). This economic situation did not trouble Catalonia before this active movement for succession. Catalonia has added up to sixteen percent of the population and twenty percent of the Spanish economy, which is 223.6 billion euros as of October 2017 (Bosch). If the government of Catalonia is able to succeed, the tensions between the two sides would reduce, and the governments could focus on more important issues, like the economy, and be able to progress further separately.To evaluate, this side of the Catalonia issue shows that if the region of Catalonia is able to succeed, it would allow both Spain and Catalonia to progress from their currently regressed economic situations. From this position, it would be the best for both sides for Catalonia to become independent. From the opposing viewpoint, Kurdistan would have a struggling economy if they became independent. An Iraqi trader mentioned that â€Å"the market would die† if the Kurds threats became reality (Dziadosz). The economy in the region is based on oil sales that add up to ninety percent of its revenues (Dziadosz). This could bring a problem of self-reliance for the Kurdish people. Also, the majority of the oil goes to Turkey, which questions to the viability of the economy of an independent Kurdistan arise (Dziadosz). Despite this, even Turkey is against the independence of the Kurds. The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioned the Kurds vote for independence as â€Å"treachery† and that the region would â€Å"not find food or clothing† if independence ensued (Dziadosz). This threat has kept the Kurds from becoming independent is due to the one dimensional economy of oil and the fact that basic goods in the region need to be imported (Dziadosz). Based on the facts, should Kurdistan become an independent nation with the knowledge that it cannot support itself economically.To evaluate, Alex Dziadosz is a freelance journalist currently based in Lebanon and has been awarded the New York Press Award for his reporting in Iraq. Based on this, Dziadosz has seemed to take evidence of his findings from the Middle East to make his own credible statements and this article seems to be no exception. Moreover, Scotland is seen to be better off if Scotland stays with the United Kingdom. As a whole, the United Kingdom is a world power that is both relatively small both geographically and in population. Scotland benefits from being considered a world power. Scotland also values the United Nations, where the United Kingdom is one of the five permanent members on the world security council (McCafferty). This makes Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland stronger together than in their separate ways. As well, the complaint that Scotland is not represented in the United Kingdom is not true. Based on evidence, Scotland has more money spent on public services per person than that of England, a  £1,460 difference (McCafferty). As with that, the general public opinion in Scotland is that they are â€Å"equally Scottish and British† and many Scots have family across the border (McCafferty).In analysis, Ross McCafferty is a writer for the Scotsman that talks about his views on politics and sports in the United Kingdom and Scotland. The fact that McCafferty states his views in his articles could make them have questionable bias if they are not backed up with facts and not recognize the other side of the issue. McCafferty's article has a bias for continued union with the United Kingdom but is no less reliable based on the facts and evidence proposed in the article.Furthermore, the issue of the independence of Catalonia is a risk of uncertainty for the region. Economists at Berenberg Bank, one of the leading private banks based in Germany, mentioned that there was no practical way for Catalonia to become an independent nation inside of the European Union (Kottasovà ¡). With independence, Catalonia would not be a World Trade Organization member, and would face major trade barriers (Kottasovà ¡). With these blockades, the price of imported goods into the region would rise, and would result in more unemployment (Kottasovà ¡). The region could also use the euro as a currency, but with no representation, as they would not have a seat in the European Central Bank (Kottasovà ¡). With this, the region of Catalonia would face barriers far larger than the ones that they currently have with Spain. This would most likely result in the loss of the rest of the Spain as a trade partner. With this, would they be able to risk the uncertainty that would ensue with independence?To evaluate, Ivana Kottasovà ¡ is a reporter at CNN Money that covers European business and economy. The article covers both sides of the issue in Catalonia but focuses mostly on the perspective of Spain. The author's credentials and the evaluation of both sides of the case makes the case of the economics seem credible. Thus, after the evaluation of the cases, one can decide the logical perspective that each case should be placed into. Initially, my perspective on the issue was for the independence for these territories. But after extensive research and contemplation on the subject matter, my perspective has changed. Currently with the Kurdish people, there is evidence of an inefficient economy based solely on oil with an unestablished government. Secondly, in Scotland, the country would be better prepared, both economically and politically, to stay with the rest of the United Kingdom. No matter what the nationalistic politicians claim, they are receiving help from the rest of the union. However, I still believe the circumstance in Catalonia is still under debate. The Catalans have a diverse economy in a territory around the size of Belgium. The territory also has the political leaders ready to take the next step from Spain with the public opinion of the region on their side. In final analysis, the information presented is still very limited. There is a need for the evaluation of the individual bias of the leaders of each government to ensure that their beliefs are for the best. Along with that, there is the need for the analysis of past territories that have either become independent or have stayed with their union. The issue at hand is very complex and is in need for further review for each case independently. Overall, I stand that the territories should be able to show their protest, but in the cases provided, these territories should stay with their current nations.

Are Grades and Effective Means of Motivation - 733 Words

Grades are an effective means of motivating students to do their best work. Believing: Grades are often seen to be one of, if not the most effective method of motivating a student to work to their fullest potential. For example, a student who receives an A-grade is going to be encouraged by the grade, as they see it to be an affirmation of their academic efforts. An A-student views their grade with pride, and will work very hard to maintain said grade, once achieved. An example of this is as follows. John recently received an A on his Math test. He then goes home with a sense of pride, bragging about it to all of his friends. John now realizes that he must keep up the good work and continue to work hard for school, in order to continue†¦show more content†¦Reflection: This writing activity was unlike anything I had seen before. It challenged me to write from two entirely different perspectives, which is something very new to me. The main difficulty I faced with this assignment was the assignment itself. While it may seem redundant to say so, the assignment asked us to write about somethingShow MoreRelated What Causes Teenagers to Lose Motivation in School? Essay1731 Words   |  7 PagesWhat Causes Teenagers to Lose Motivation in School? missing works cited Some reasons for high school student academic failure, which range from drug use to individual student insecurity, can be plainly traced to the nature of adolescence. Social acceptance and a desire to belong to a crowd are placed above academics in the minds of teens. When academic underachievement is the norm, devoted students may come under ridicule as being nerds or teachers pets. There is a difficulty, thereforeRead MoreAcademic Success Essay1187 Words   |  5 Pagesor drop out is their level of motivation. Students in college have made the decision attend a college, and therefore have already experienced motivation during the application process. 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Thoreau Walden Analysis - 1615 Words

Schulz clearly states her belief that Thoreau was not only â€Å"narcissistic, and fanatical about self control,† but a hypocrite. She relies on common cliches of the â€Å"mile† walk back to Concord where Thoreau would feast on his mom’s homemade â€Å"cookies.† Contradictions that Thoreau himself commented on in Walden. Thoreau mentions in the book’s first sentence that he is but â€Å"a mile† from the village of Concord, the author seemingly self aware of his situation. Schultz criticism is overly literal, arguing that â€Å"Thoreau’s retreat at Walden was a desperate compromise.† The problem is that Walden is not a desperate attempt by a narcissistic misanthrope to distance himself from society, but rather an attempt by Thoreau to balance his own†¦show more content†¦As Jeffrey S. Kramer relays in his article In Praise of Pond Scum, Walden is â€Å"not a book about a man living in the woods, but simply about a man living.† Furthermore, Schultz actively criticizes Thoreau the man in an attempt to defame his literary persona. In defense of Thoreau, Kramer states about historical figures that â€Å"we like to make them out of stone, not clay.† As Kramer puts it, Thoreau was â€Å"the vegetarian who ate meat, the conversationalist who surveyed the woodlots, the pacifist who endorsed violence, the hermit who loved gossip.† So did Thoreau actively practice all that he wrote about? The answer is no. Thoreau questioned the very concepts that he often wrote about and have become associated with his name. In fact, Thoreau blurs the lines between his personal story and his literary persona to question and examine how every person lives their lives. If Schultz took into account human complexities such as doubt and contradiction, she would realize that Thoreau was not a hypocrite, but a man questioned life and relayed it to his audience. Moreover, Schultz continues to complain that â⠂¬Å"he preached at others to live as he did not, while berating them for their own compromises.† It is true that was often condescending and insufferable, even advising his readers to eat one meal a day: â€Å"The fruits eaten temporarily need not make us ashamed of our appetites.† He suggests that peoples appetites were otherwise disgraceful, and that food,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Thoreau s Walden s Walden 931 Words   |  4 Pageswithin one’s self. Thoreau describes the ability to find the true sense and meaning of happiness without all of the materialistic barriers that seem to serve as its guidelines. 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Thoreau critics describe him as a very conceited, hypocritical, and egotistical individual who had little respect or empathy for humanity. On the other hand, those in praise of Thoreau describe his writing as unparalleled in terms of detailed descriptions, observations, and understanding and explanation of deeper meanings. Through analysis of his writings

Tech Prep Essay - 1704 Words

Tech Prep Although the development and implementation of tech prep education programs have been in process since the initiation of the Carl D. Perkins Act Amendments of 1990, misconceptions about tech prep education still exist. As defined in provisions authorizing Perkins funds for tech prep, a tech prep education program is a combined secondary and postsecondary program that- leads to an associate degree or two-year certificate; provides technical preparation in at least one field of engineering technology; applied science, mechanical, industrial, or practical art or trade; or agriculture, health or business; builds student competence in mathematics, science, and communications (including applied academics) through a†¦show more content†¦Although the integration of academic and vocational education offers one strategy for developing the academic and technical competence of students, it does not constitute tech prep. Tech prep requires not only new courses and a sequenced core curriculum, but courses that take into account the learning styles of the majority of students, incorporating concepts like that of contextual learning. According to Hull (1993), contextual learning occurs only when students process new information or knowledge in such a way that it makes sense to them in their frame of reference (their own inner world of memory, experience, and response) (p. 41). Thus, the applied academics approach to learning, which involves the teaching of solid academic content by means of hands-on and vocational applications, follows the contextual learning concept in that it provides for learning in the context of life experiences-building on what the students already know and applying learning in the context of how the knowledge/information can be used in the context of exploration, discovery, and invention (ibid.). One of the goals of applied academic curriculum is that it should enable students to transfer knowledge from academic content to vocational applications and from school to the workplace. To ensure a curriculum that will prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for work in a technologicallyShow MoreRelatedEssay On GPA1259 Words   |  6 Pages22 (Naviance). Along with the average test scores, â€Å"your overall academic record is the most important part of [the] application.† The minimum GPA is a 3.2 for admissions requirements and if lower, you’ll have to make a better grade on your SAT. The Prep Scholar states that â€Å"if you’re currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications.† In addition to looking at numbers, Texas State also has a required curriculum to be completed. Applicants are required to haveRead MoreEssay on Dropouts and CTE2335 Words   |  10 Pagescompletion, but all 45 agreed that there was not reliable information on achievement, attendance, or completion rates. Another statewide study (Brown 2000) noted that state systems for collecting and repo rting Tech Prep outcomes were poorly developed, perhaps because they were not required in the Tech Prep Education Act (Title III-E of Perkins II). So it would seem that the question remains: Is CTE one solution to the dropout problem or not? Early Statistics on the Effectiveness of CTE In fact, forRead MoreCommunity, School, And Classroom Factors Essay1049 Words   |  5 Pagesof staff carry advanced degrees. The school follows a 4 x4 block/semester scheduling format and incorporates the research-based instruction and Blending Learning model in classrooms according to Myrtle Beach High School s website. 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Referring back to what my engineering teacher told our class, your grades need to be phenomenal and you need to have some engineering experience. Right now I am in the engineering tech prep program at my high school. Also at our school we have to take the right classes to be in a tech prep class so I am obviously on the right path for graduation and college. As of right now I don’t belong to any organizations for engineering but I would love an opportunity to get involved with a organizationRead More Technology and Language in Education: The Effect of New Technology on Teaching Languages1539 Words   |  7 Pagesthey speak English or not. The website for the University of California Davis Department of Information and Educational Technology reported on the University of California’s College Prep (UCCP) initiative to provide Advanced Placement level courses underprivileged high school students without access to college prep measures. 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These three revisions were; replacing the label â€Å"vocational education† instead with â€Å"career and technical education†; maintaining the tech prep programs as a separate entity with federal funding within the legislation; maintaining state administrative funding at 5 percent’s of the state’s allocation. The Perkins Act provided roughly $1.3 billion annually to career and technical educationRead MoreCareer And Technical Education Program1499 Words   |  6 Pagesincrease the quality of technical education in the United States. The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act Amendments of 1990 (Perkins II, P.L. 101-392) made several revisions to the 1984 Act. Nota bly, the act created the tech-prep program designed to coordinate secondary and postsecondary vocational education activities into a coherent sequence of courses. 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Cola Wars Continue Coke and Pepsi in 2006 Free Essays

Spenser Garrison Strategic Management 3/17/10 Case 1: Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2006 The soft drink industry is very competitive for all companies involved. Recently the competition between established firms has only increased with the market nearing its saturation point. All companies in the industry, especially those thinking about entering, have to think about Porter’s 5-Forces model and the pressures it outlines; rivalry among establish firms, risk of entry by potential competitors, substitute products, suppliers, and buyers. We will write a custom essay sample on Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2006 or any similar topic only for you Order Now When talking about market share, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have the lions share. They have dominated the industry over the past 40 years with Coca-Cola leading in the category in 2004 (C256). With little resistance from Cadbury Schweppes, the distant third largest company in the industry, the two companies’ main focus was to increase market demand by outdoing each other in promotions, advertisements, and corporate acquisitions. Rivalry and power struggle have defined the existence of PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, looking for a competitive advantage to gain an edge on the competition. This rivalry has been to the benefit to the companies, the industry, and its consumers as a whole. Both have learned to not only stay afloat, but flourish in an industry that has constantly grown since Coca-Cola began advertising in 1891 (C258). They did this by increasing the demand in their products, and gaining brand loyalty by their consumers. In some instances, they were selling cases of Dasani (Coca-Cola) and Aquafina (PepsiCo) for less than the cost of bottling it (C267). The risk of entry by potential competitors isn’t a strong competitive pressure in the industry. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola dominate the industry with their brand name and distribution channels, which makes it difficult for new entrants to compete with these existing firms. High fixed costs of production facilities, logistics, and economies of scale also deter entry. It’s difficult for a new firm with a small production capacity, and a high cost structure to compete when, as soon as their product is introduced to the market, the two leading firms drop prices below your cost structure. Pepsi and Coke’s economies of scale allows them to do this since it costs so much less for them to produce their products than it would a new company. Substitute products come from competitors outside of the soft drink industry. These include: coffee, sports drinks, bottled water, tea, and juices. This is an increasingly growing force since consumers are becoming more health conscious in society. Most people are thinking about what carbonated soft drinks do to their bodies and replace them with sports drinks which appear to be healthier. These drinks also allow for a larger variety of flavors the appeal to different consumers (C263). Coffee and tea may also be substitutes for the consumer who drinks soda for the caffeine they contain. Consumers can switch to coffee to decrease the amount of sugar and carbonation. These also come in a larger variety of flavors provided companies, such as Starbucks, that have become extremely popular over the past 20 years. These substitutes are a large and powerful force in the industry, especially since the switching costs (the cost to switch from one product to the next) are essentially zero. Supplies to the industry don’t hold much competitive pressure. Bottling and packaging of the product don’t hold much of a bargaining position in the industry. Coca-Cola’s CEO Roberto Goizueta looked to consolidate a large number of bottlers in 1986, creating an independent bottling subsidiary called Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), went public and sold 51% of its shares while retaining the remaining which enables Coke to have separate financial statements from CCE (C261). This vertical integration essentially made Coke its own bottler, which almost cut out suppliers entirely. PepsiCo soon followed suit in the late 1980s with the Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) and went public in 1999, retaining 35% of its shares (C261). By 2004 Coca-Cola had CCE bottling 80% of its North American bottle and can volume, while PepsiCo had PBG bottling 57% of their beverages in the region (C261). These consolidations took away much of suppliers’ bargaining power. The buyers of soft drinks range from Supermarkets, to mass retailers and supercenters, to gas stations. Soft drinks are sold to these stores which are, in turn, resold to customers. Buyer power in the industry is very strong. Larger stores purchase soft drink in large volumes allowing them to buy at low prices. Gas stations have less bargaining power since they buy smaller quantities. Although soft drink demand is beginning to plateau which could cause a shift in bargaining power to the buyer because of decreasing demands in both Pepsi and Coke. Porter’s 5-Forces model completely encompasses all factors of the soft drink industry. It has shown that industry has been very profitable in earlier years, especially to Pepsi and Coke. Demand for soft drinks is beginning to level off because of a new health conscious trend by the consumer which will inevitably affect profits. The industry has also been defined by intense rivalry by the two largest firms which leave little room for new entrants. The soft drink industry has reached its peak in society and will soon begin to decline soon because of the consumers decrease in demand for the product and increased demand in other healthier products. For both companies to stay profitable, they will have to curtail their products to the new health conscious trend of the consumer. The value created by the soft drink industry is apparent and distributed across the industry in a variety of ways. Pepsi and Coke at first only produced their cola products, two companies each with one product line. The success of both companies led them to diversify their production capabilities and produce different flavors of soda; Fanta, Sprite, and Tab (1960-63) from Coke, and Teem, Mountain Dew, and Diet Pepsi (1960-64) from Pepsi (C259). These expanded product lines proved to be highly profitable and were continued and expanded on in the years to come. By the late 1980s Coke and Pepsi each offered more than 10 major brands of soda in 17 or more sizes (C261). This product proliferationincreased profitability, rivalry, and barriers to entry. Soon both companies would break into markets other than carbonated soft drinks. Sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade, juices and juice drinks, energy drinks, tea based drinks, and bottled water. These new product lines all had substitute products from the other company to battle with. Pepsi and Coke had a vast understanding on game theory and demonstrated it with their sequential and simultaneous move games. This led to an enormous selection for the consumer, whose only problem was choosing a flavor. Both Pepsi and Coke both have secret recipes to their flagship cola. Coke was the first to be imitated in its early years. The company constantly fought trademark infringements in court. There were as many as 153 barred imitation of Coca-Cola in 1916 alone (C259). When Pepsi proved to be a viable competitor to Coke, the company filed a suit against Pepsi claiming it was an infringement on the Coca-Cola Trademark. From that point on the two companies engaged in competitive marketing campaigns to gain market share. In 1950, Coke controlled 47% of the US market, while Pepsi’s was only 10%. Coke and Pepsi are two gigantic companies that have flourished throughout their existence. They can be described as the definition of rivalry and competition in the modern business world. They are exact substitutes of each other and have battled to control the carbonated soft drink industry for over a century. From the 1950s-present, the carbonated soft drink industry has steadily increased in terms of consumption by person in the US (C251). Both companies have spent billions in marketing, research, acquisitions, and promotions to meticulously exchange percentage points in the $66 billion a year industry that they have created (C250). Unfortunately times are changing, and the superiority that the carbonated soft drink industry once held among beverages is slowly fading. Schools are banning sodas from being sold in them, claiming they are unhealthy for children (C263). People in today’s society are more health conscious than they were in prior years. This is why you see a health clubs left and right, and â€Å"0g Trans Fat† labeled on snack foods. A majority of the US population is very health conscious, which leaves little room for the sugary carbonated soft drinks that used to dominated beverage consumption. The stability of the Soft drink Industry as a whole is in jeopardy. Coke and Pepsi will have to find alternatives to increase market share, or break into new markets, if they want sales to keep increasing like they have in the past. Non-carbonated beverages, such as juices, sports drinks, and energy drinks, are beginning to grow more rapidly than when they first were introduced, while carbonated beverages are leveling off. This health conscious shift will lead Coca-Cola and Pepsi executives to focus in these once thought auxiliary components of their business to pick up the slack that the carbonated industry is leaving behind. Coke and Pepsi will not be able to repeat their success with carbonated beverages in the water segment. Water can’t differ like soft drinks can. There are simply too many similar substitutes for customers to turn to, and the brand loyalty diminishes. A mere 10% of consumers say they choose a brand of water because â€Å"it’s my favorite brand† when compared to the 37% of carbonated beverage consumers (C267). To compete in this new market, Coke and Pepsi will need a new competitive dynamic to stay profitable, one that won’t end in price wars. Fortunately for the market it is much cheaper to bottle and sell water than it is carbonated soft drinks, so competitive advantage will need to inevitably be realized in other parts of the business. How to cite Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2006, Essays

Americans visit the movies everyday in search of a Essay Example For Students

Americans visit the movies everyday in search of a Essay couple hours filled with mind blowing entertainment. Is it the digitally re-mastered sound, the out-of-this-world special effects, or tear jerker dramas? New movies are released every week, but what movies are the top grossing movies of all time? What is it that got these movies to the top twenty? The following is a list of the top twenty grossing movies of all time: Movie Year Total Gross (Millions) 1. Titanic 1997 $601 2. Star Wars 1977 $461 3. Star Wars: Episode I 1999 $431 4. E.T. 1982 $400 5. Jurassic Park 1993 $357 6. Forest Gump 1994 $329 7. Lion King, The 1994 $313 8. Star Wars: Episode VI 1983 $309 9. Independence Day 1996 $305 10. Sixth Sense, The 1999 $294 11. Star Wars: Episode V 1980 $290 12. Home Alone 1990 $286 13. Jaws 1975 $260 14. Batman 1989 $251 15. Men In Black 1997 $250 16. Toy Story 2 1999 $246 17. Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981 $242 18. Twister 1996 $240 19. Ghostbusters 1984 $239 20. Beverly Hills Cop 1984 $235 As more and more movies release, what type of movies make it to the top twenty? Judging from the top twenty list, about 60% of the top twenty can be considered Action movies. A majority of the movies in the top twenty are Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi. 40% can be considered Horror/Thriller movies, and only a mere four movies out of twenty can be considered a Comedy. Americans would find more enjoyment from an Action packed Sci-Fi Thriller than a family fun Comedy. The Top Twenty Grossing Movie list is made by highest grossing point, which means total money made. Each decade more and more movies reach the top twenty. In the top twenty, 2 movies released in the 70s, 7 from the 80s, and 11 from the 90s. A major factor that caused this is inflation. The #1 Top Grossing Movie, Titanic, topped off at $601 million, each movie ticket for Titanic was around $5-$8 per ticket. Lets say that Gone With the Wind, #31 on the Top Grossing Movie List, was released at the same time Titanic was, instead of 1939. The total gross sales for Gone With the Wind would top the charts destroying Titanic. Inflation has such an impact on the list , maybe the list should be based on an equal inflation. Not many sequels ever make it to the top twenty. One set of sequels in particular had all of its sequels in the top twenty list. All of Star Wars sequels have made it to the top twenty, and two of the movies take #2 and #3 on the list. The only Sequels to make it to the top twenty, besides Star Wars, is Toy Story 2. Americans do not seem to be attracted to sequels as much as an original movie. Many factors, such as types of movies, story line, and sequels, go into the Top 20 All-Time Grossing Films list , but none effect it clearly as much as inflation. .