african american history essays

african american history essays African Americans are and have always been a vital aspect to American society. They were brought here in bondage, and eventually received their so called freedom. It would be many years later before they would attain their freedom. Years of struggling to get the rights that this country had denied them. Years before a grown black man would be considered as a man and not a boy. There are so many hardships to be recognized for their founding contributions to make society what it is today. If the youth of today aren't taught what their ancestors went through, a certain value is decreasing among the following generations. It is very important to let the black community know of the past so they have a distinguished dignity about themselves. Knowing the history of African Americans will intern help us from repeating the same mistakes, and make us a prouder society. African American History should be taught in schools African American History should be expressed in public and private schools. We teach of the founders of the vast nation, and we only take one month out of twelve to acknowledge outstanding Black People. At times it seems as if they do not receive the honor that is due, and someone else gets the credit. It is a sad connotation that during this month you hear: "I didn't know a Black man/woman invented that". The majority of black children don't even know half of the accomplishments achieved by African American legends. Thus, they will never really know why they are in the position that they are in today. Black History should be taught in schools, as well as in the homes. Parents should also know their history and pass it on to their children. This will instill a legacy in a child's mind better than any instructor could achieve. In most schools, Black history does not consume the whole month. Teachers might read a few facts, or ask their students to chose a historical ...

Sex in College †Is there Love after Hookups

Sex in College – Is there Love after Hookups What’s happening to college kids and their sex lives? Sex is everywhere, as is pornography, but actually getting in a mature relationship seems almost impossible these days. Has romance perished? What’s up with that? In this post we’re going to look at five reasons why all college kid seems to desire is meaningless unattached sexual promiscuity over love. 1. There’s Little Time for Relationships Seriously, in case you missed that memo, the 21st century is moving at an incredible rate. There’s too much pressure, economic and otherwise. Too many classes to take and too many career moves to make. Ladies that go to college today aren’t trying to find Mr. Perfect anymore. Guys are more interested in becoming the next tech-icon than being a father. No one has time for a family anymore. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-7/10 kids are born to unwed younger parents and dad typically leaves the picture. That’s the reality off-campus. College kids know it and are trying to avoid it altogether. Sex, sure. Kids and marriage, no way. 2. The Hook-Up with No-Strings Culture Monogamy is so 1999. Gone is the pressure on young women to marry young. Then, from nearly every angle the entertainment culture is telling us monogamy has faded. It’s been replaced by hook-ups and a mindset that’s more bent on cost-benefit analysis than notions of romance. In his article entitled, â€Å"Who Will Save College Students from the Scourge of Doomed Campus Relationships?† Matthew Yglesias puts it this way: â€Å"One sound option is casual sex. The other option is to engage in doomed serious romances that will be shortly scuttled on the rocks of reality as it turns out that two smart ambitious people figuring out what they want to do with their lives probably dont want to make the kind of serious compromises that come with a real relationship.† This is college, and it’s expensive. More expensive than it’s ever been. Students know this and want to extract as much value as possible in the hopes that they’ll get into graduate programs. No one has the time for mature relationships or compromises. 3. The â€Å"Later† Approach to Marriage Monogamy We’ll find someone and get married later. And, the socio-economic environment is absolutely not conducive to the nuclear family anymore. 1 in 5 men have a decent job right now in America and can take care of a family. An abysmal number. Only 1 in 20 men in the old manufacturing world were unemployed. Men are finding it almost impossible to carry their weight because in this brave new world more feminine characteristics are valuable. Both men and women are forced to push marriage back because it’s not economically viable anymore. To live a middle class lifestyle both the mother and father need good jobs, and these jobs are increasingly hard to get. Marriage and monogamy are being pushed way into the future. 4. Technology Replaced Courtship In early 2013 Alex Williams published â€Å"The End of Courtship?† in the Fashion Style section of The New York Times. According to the experts he consulted technology is locking college students into the hook-up culture and then making it so they have no clue how to actually court one another and get into a relationship†¦even if they wanted to. â€Å"Traditional courtship - picking up the telephone and asking someone on a date - required courage, strategic planning and a considerable investment of ego (by telephone, rejection stings). Not so with texting, e-mail, Twitter or other forms of â€Å"asynchronous communication,† as techies call it. In the context of dating, it removes much of the need for charm; it’s more like dropping a line in the water and hoping for a nibble.† College kids these days are more likely to meet on an internet dating site than class, or a bar. A text conversation is the new first date. Social media platforms are the new singles bars. Orthodox courtship is nearly non-existent. No one mature relationships are hard to find. 5. Economic Maturity Comes Later For a large variety of reasons it takes longer for Americans these days to grow up and mature economically. For baby boomers, you didn’t really even need a high school diploma to get a decent job that you can live on. Now, kids feel pressured to get advanced and extremely expensive technical degrees. A Bachelors is the new HS diploma. A Masters is the new B.A. These are the realities. What about you? Do you find it impossible to date or to take â€Å"love† in college seriously? Do you feel pressured to ditch all conventional notions of romance and monogamy? It’s hard to say where this is all heading, but it doesn’t look all that great so far. The best thing we can do is talk to one another. Let’s hear what you have to say about the issue.

Compare the book and the movie of all the kings men Essay

Compare the book and the movie of all the kings men - Essay Example Movie had in it not only a strong and finest cast but a bit of philosophy, narration, great American prose and most excellent dialogues. Whenever a popular novel is converted into a movie, that too with a huge star cast the expectations of people with the movie rise and with that it is a popular phenomena that people compare novel and the movie. Where words and the feel of the novel attract readers, huge star cast with great dialogues attracts audience in the cinema. Where the novel â€Å"All the King’s men† is not a linear novel, reader can easily get confused at various points as the nature of the novel is anti-chronological. Time Travelling is an important factor in the novel and it often confuses the reader regarding realizing which time period they are in (New York Times,2006). The novel start with the setup in year 1936 where protagonist, Jack Burden remembering a road trip in the year 1933 to Mason city with Willie Stark, Tom Stark who is Willie’s son and Willie’s wife Lucy Stark. They talk about political pressure which Jack’s mentor Judge Irwin was facing. In the novel the conflict between Jack, Willie holds importance as it is the initial stage of the novel and the readers are in good grip of the characters. The readers can now well judge the shady elements in the characters. Judge Irwin is old so the readers can symthatise with him as well. The question which comes in the minds is why all this is happening because they are good friends and they share such a close relationship, what went wrong. The novel is very impactful at this stage and leaves the reader with a question of why this is happening. Movie captures the scene well too but the words expressed in the novel and the feelings which are expressed are more effective in the novel compared to the book. Jack goes in the year 1922, there is a lot of time travelling in the novel which sometimes confuses the reader as well. The Film however is set during early 1950s in Louisiana except for the flashbacks, where the well dressed and popular amongst all and also witty Willie Start is made the governor through the support given to him by the lower social classess.( Movie: All the King’s men) His supporters are his bodyguard friend Sugar boy, the journalist Jack Burden, Tiny Duffy and Stark’s mistress Sadie Burke who will help him against the upper class. Apart from the time setup in the novel and the movie there are some other prominent differences in both as well, from the character development of the Sugar boy who in the book is totally following Willie’s every move however in the movie he plays a silent bodyguard. (Empire Magazine,2006). Another important factor or the dissimilarity is the character development of Jack. Jack’s character in the book is a very complex. He is cynic and indifferent towards life. Jack’s excessive love towards character of Anna Stanton is clearly seen in the book, also Jack’ s anger in the book is far more impactful when he figured out that Willie has taken Anne as a mistress. The movie however was just partially successful in capturing the emotional side of Jack’s character. Particularly, his philosophical discussion in the novel about what he calls "The Great Twitch" is missing in the film. In keeping with the era of the 1930s, Jack is also fairly racist by standards of a later era, an aspect that is not portrayed in the film.   One major setback of the movie was removing Tom Stark’

Groupware Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Groupware - Essay Example Today, it is undeniable that technological innovation brings the convenience of many previous laborious works. It is also responsible for the massive growth and fast traffic of the flow of information.Collaborative Software also known as Groupware is a computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). This study will nullify the downbeat notion towards the groupware that it is more of trouble than worthy to the organizational functions.According to Tom Blinck along with fellow authors in their online work Introduction to Groupware (1998), said that one of the major problems of this software is the complexity of the technologies needed that will be compatible for its function. However, hardware technologies are never seizing in development in order to comply with the best means suited for the need of the particular task.Another serious issue that Blinck and his company have been citing is the affordability of the available groupware for the company. It is undeniable the high price amount of the software, including the budget for the consultant of the software, and the trainings for the utilization. Blinck quoted Larson, stating that:"Economic recessions and restrictions of small to medium sized businesses produce decreasing budgets and therefore many firms perceive that they cannot afford to invest in GroupWare. This leads to a lack of support from top-level management. Usually the cost of implementation, hiring a consultant and training programs all add up to significant sums of money, that most firms do not see as a wise investment" Blinck and his party have been probably just looking at the financial security of the company so as not advising to invest in groupware. But they failed to see the potentiality of reimbursement of the expenses for the groupware package, or even beyond the expected price of reimbursement, due to its convenience of the function and production of the result a company could benefit of using groupware. The worthiness of groupware in financial aspect is the solutions it could give to the company and to its very user. The various components or collaboration tools of groupware surely make the various jobs in an organization a lot easier, and that is already worth of the investment (Lank, 2005). Components of collaboration tools such as electronic communication tools (synchronous conferencing, Web publishing), Electronic conferencing tools (electronic meeting system, application sharing), and Collaborative management tools (electronic calendars, workflow system) are the features of the groupware that could be very useful at the same time do not limiting the mobility of the employees within the workforce (Fjeld et al., 2002). Some of these features are common to the labels such as Lotus notes and Microsoft Exchange (Search Domino.Com, 2005). Another advantage of groupware is the wide scopes of areas of concern it can encompass as it understand the many tasks it needed to support in a company. The traditional interface only focuses on one person usability alone (Nielsen, 2008). Groupware is designed for the ease of the consumer and to assist regarding the productivity of the work in terms of quality and quantity that could be limited in the conventional interface of outdated systems. Some groupware even vary its design as the creators are considering along the size of the company, and the distinctive roles of the users playing in a team (Nielsen, 2008). Mobility is also a big factor to consider for a working company. Its limitation can hinder the production and the continuum

The problem with public relations Essay Example for Free

The problem with public relations Essay Budd and Ruben (1988) stressed that the absence of data sources signals mass media’s inevitable downfall and destruction. Once and for all, information is media’s main (product). Thus, it is pretty impossible for media organizations to deliver such (product) if there is an apparent lack of supplier. PR is therefore instrumental in sustaining media’s existence and survival. PR departments of business establishments can supply industry-based news and stories. Likewise, government agencies utilize PR to increase the public’s awareness about the government’s projects and endeavors. Similarly, it can be noticed that advocacy and interest groups capitulated on public relations to voice out their views and opinions. However, while it is true that public relations aid the media in satisfying the market for information, it cannot be denied that PR’s sole purpose is still grounded on the principle of building publicity and creating massive media exposure. The marriage of press releases and news items make it too difficult and confusing for the public to distinguish plain news materials from press releases. The implications of the above-mentioned scenarios are pretty compelling and cannot be readily ignored. For one, the dependence of media organizations on PR departments as news sources raises question regarding the quality of news production. For one, media practitioners are trained and expected to conduct heavy research and collect different news sources to ensure accuracy. Relying on a single source is a cardinal sin for many journalists and broadcasters primarily because news items must ensure that all angles of the story are presented. Relatively, this also served as a challenge to the degree of professionalism practiced by individuals that work in the media. Data gathering and verifying information are essential routines in news production. This means that journalists and broadcasters are expected to go out of their comfort zones and look for socially relevant topics that serve the public’s interests. The notion that media practitioners should develop a keen eyes for details and nose for news, imply that media outfits must exert effort in providing news rather than merely sit and wait for PR handouts. But more than anything else, this situation readily surrenders mass media’s freedom. Mutual connections of news organizations and PR departments manifest media’s subtle suppression and independence from the powerful influences of external environments. Indeed, PR departments, due to its strong links to business organizations, governmental agencies and even advocacy groups, now has the upper-hand in the overall process of how news is produced and delivered to the public (Fitzpatrick Bronstein, 2006) . Drawing on Dahrendorf’s idea of power legitimacy, business establishments and government agencies have the authority to transform news materials into mere promotional or propaganda copies (Slattery, 2003). These actors are well positioned in the social strata that grant them a good grasp of influence. The uneven distribution of authority and rule (Slattery, 2003) readily legitimizes the position of business organizations and government agencies in the social, political, cultural and legal hierarchy. PR subsequently becomes a tool for control and manipulation via exerting pressure to distort and fabricate news items. It is important to note that media outfits are also business endeavors that depend on profiteering to sustain their survival. Profit, in the media context is measured by high ratings and wide audience reception. But this can be only achieved if newspapers and television programs alike have enough information to offer for public consumption (Craig, 2004). It is the information—the news stories that function as lifebloods of the media industry. When PR departments become involved in news making, they are very much capable of withholding data and information that leaves journalists and broadcasters at their mercy. This is most especially true in situations wherein corporate reputation is very much at stake. In these times, media practitioners must exercise neutrality and objectivity. However, neutrality in this case does not work well for PR. One must readily take sides. What happens then is that journalists and news anchors are compelled to transform press releases into (well-researched) news reports that simply explain the sides of the affected party. However, a closer look into the matter shows that these simple explanations are no less than defense mechanisms that are pursued to protect capitalistic aims and orientations. Other business organizations would even push media practitioners to exaggerate press releases and resort to sensationalism (Whitaker, Ramsey Smith, 2004). On the other hand, government agencies can impose legal sanctions to influence news coverage and to a certain extent—silence media groups. These institutions can very much exercise censorship to dismantle media’s critical stand. This situation is highly evident in communities governed by extremely authoritarian regimes. Likewise, if government offices fail to garner favorable media attention, they can create their own media system and thus capitalize on PR. Nowadays, it is not too much of an extraordinary thing to see government agencies publish their own newsletters or newspapers (Franklin Murphy, 1991). A deconstruction of these media contents clearly show that campaign materials are readily expressed as news. Yes, these copies may well increase the public’s awareness. But news, in the truest sense of the word, is not self-serving. Apparently, this scenario manifests a blatant abuse of freedom of expression. However, press releases are also exploited by other media practitioners. This can be specifically observed in journalists and broadcasters who are active members of advocacy groups. Their ideological beliefs may very much interfere with the way they handle news stories. Biases may occur in treating subjects that have differing opinions and perspectives. There are instances wherein released statements of their respective groups are customized to look like news items. But then again, no matter how noble the intentions are, this does not erase the fact that the public is deceived and mislead. The inability of media individuals to distance themselves from their respective affiliations is a subtle and unconscious way of placing more PR content in news items. The agenda-setting model states that mass media in general have the ability to dictate and redefine the audience’s perception (Botha et. al, 2007). News organizations, regardless of the ethical standards that govern broadcast, print and online media can tell the public which issues should be considered important and which should be immediately dismissed as irrelevant. The agenda-setting function of media is manifested through giving focus and emphasis on particular subjects (Botha et. al, 2007). When certain events or personalities receive much media attention, the public is made to believe that these are important. It can be observed that majority of released news items are mainly concern on few large-scale issues. Yet, it seems that there is diversity in newspapers and television news programs. But the truth is, these issues are simply dissected and articulated from different angles. Public relations officers know this very well and PR agencies are readily capitulating on these situations (Burns, 2002). Even though it is a common practice for news producers to identify news angles, this has been nonetheless, abused. Consequently, this scenario is also instrumental in the prevalence of unethical practices in mass media. These include biases, data fabrication, inaccuracy, and conflicting interests. Under this context, news and media in general becomes a tool of the elite to retain their positions in the social and political ladder. Media becomes a hegemonic machine of the ruling class. This situation further reaffirms Althusser’s argument that media is part of the so-called â€Å"ideological state apparatuses or ISA (Fourie, 2007). † Conclusion PR is indeed, a good source of news stories. However, there should be a clear distinction between press releases and news items. Media organizations must assert their independence and autonomy from certain groups that could very well affect news production. It should be always remembered that providing relevant information is not synonymous to creating â€Å"praise releases. † Ethical practices in the media must be strictly observed. The public’s demand for information should not be perceived from a business-oriented view. News stories are not commodities. The public needs to know because the public needs to make a decision. Media, more than anything else is accountable to the public, not to PR agencies. Reference List Benkler, Y. (2006). The Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedoms. Connecticut: Yale University Press Botha, D; Chaka, M; du Plessis, N; Krause, B; Rawjee, V. P; Porthen, D; Veerasamy, D and Wright, B. (2007). Public Relations Fresh Perspectives. Cape Town: Pearsons Education South Africa (Pty) Ltd. Budd, R. and Ruben, B. (1988) Beyond Media New Approaches to Mass Communication. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers Burns, L. (2002). Understanding Journalism. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Clear, A. and Weideman, L. (2001) Dynamics of Public Relations and Journalism. (2nd ed). Cape Town: Juta Co. Ltd. Craig, G. (2004). The Media, Politics and Public Life. North South Wales: Allen Unwing Davies, A. (2003). Public Relations and News Sources. In S. Cottle (Ed. ), News, public relations and power. London: Sage Publications Inc. Fleming, C; Hemmingway, E; Moore, G and Welford, D. (2006). An Introduction to Journalism. London: Sage Publications Inc. Fitzpatrick, K and Bronstein, C. (2006). Ethics in Public Relations. London: Sage Publications Inc. Fourie, P. (Ed. ) (2007). Media Studies Media History, Media and Society (Vol. 1). Cape Town: Juta Co. Ltd. Franklin, B. and Murphy, D. (1991). What News?. London: Routledge L’Etang, J. (2004). Public Relations in Britain. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc. Ray, S. (2007) And Now for the good News. Massachusetts: Moment Point Press Schultz, R. (1998) Reviving the fourth estate. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Slattery, M. (2003). Key Ideas in Sociology. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd. Sloan, W. and Parcell, L. (Eds) (2002). American Journalism History, Principles, Practices. North Carolina: McFarland Company Inc. Whitaker,W; Ramsey, J and Smith, R. (2004). MediaWriting Print, Broadcast and Public Relations. (2nd ed). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

Flesh-eating Bacteria Essays -- essays research papers

Some call it “horror'; and some call it “the super germ';, but now, our always known “regular'; bacteria, those one-celled creatures once considered under control with antibiotics, have invaded our hospitals and headlines with a vengeance. The vengeance used against us is caused by an existing organism called necrotizing fasciitis, the so-called flesh-eating bacteria, caused by Group A streptococcus. What this organism does is progressively destroy the human body tissue all the way to the bone. This organism has amazingly outsmarted us of even our most potent drugs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In our community right now, medical researchers are testing antibiotics that may have chemicals to disable the resistance of this organism. But while research continues, it is vital to be aware of how these deadly germs spread and what we can do to prevent them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Long before humans discovered antibiotics, they existed in nature. So naturally, after penicillin was introduced, some germs were already naturally resistant to the drug. As we used more and more of the antibiotics, we incidentally caused drug-resistant germs to progress. So, even if you’ve never misused antibiotics, you could still become infected by bacterium most drugs won’t kill. For each drug, there are germs genetically programmed to survive- some w/ outer walls tough for antibiotic to cross, others with ways to dump the drugs back out before they can work, and yet others can inactivate the antibiotic. Even worse, by passing tiny packets of genetic material to other bacteria, these survivor germs sometimes also pass the formula for resistance to the other bacteria. The best way you can protect yourself and your family against drug-resistant bacteria is by using antibiotics correctly. Taking them when they’re not needed encourages the takeov er of drug-resistant strains in your body. (Redbook, pg.95) That’s because when antibiotics are given, the normal bacteria in your body are killed off, leaving lots of bacterial “parking spaces'; open. And the germ left to fill them is the drug-resistant ones. (Redbook, pg.95)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So far, antibiotic resistance has not been a big problem with streptococcus A, the germ familiar to all of us for causing millions of cases of strep thr... ...k two nurses to change the dressing- one to lift the folds of skin and the other to pack the wound. Continuing to mark the date and the margins of the wound, Katie’s nurses and doctors were hoping for a survival. Nutritional support at this point was entered via gastrointestinal tubing and by this time Katie was going through major psychological wounds that needed healing as well. Sadly the doctors were not able to prepare Katie to go home. Despite fasciotomy and the surgery, her infection continued aggressively. Her wound after surgery had a foul-smelling drainage, which increased in amount every day. Local cellulitis developed at the IV site on her arm. Just 10 days after the first surgery she underwent a second infection spreading around her hip area. Despite all efforts by Katie and the hospital staff, she died of septic shock and multisystem organ failure after 30 days in intensive treatment. Although flesh-eating disease is always life threatening and in most cases re sults in a fatality, it doesn’t have to have an unhappy ending if you use prompt recognition and go to clinical expertise within the first sign of the disease. Don’t let it get you!

I Was Born Ugly

Not the kind of Ugliness that makes my mother turn away in revulsion. But the Ugliness that makes her stare intently, taking in every rough edge and every smooth curve. Only so that she can sit awake at night and ask God what he was up to. The type of ugliness that you wear like a jacket even when it smells of dried sweat and stunted growth. Ugliness is what made effulgent barbarians out of grown men. Because civilization and sanity are only opium for civilized and sane people and civilized and sane people are beautiful people. Ugliness is what makes the painter paint, the sculptor sculpt and the writer write. Their very existence is an act of rebellion, of contumaciousness. Art is Ugliness that helps us realize nature’s deficiencies and it cannot appeal to beautiful people, it offends their being, it is objectionable and unpleasant to their senses. Ugliness is what prompted negroes to march and sing for a liberty that was supposed to be intrinsic and not take up arms. Ugliness was the fire in his bones when he stood on that podium, forsaking office and gentry and tell the truth for what it was. Yes, Ugliness was the culprit. Ugliness was the strength in her eyes when she gave that child a hug, when she held that man’s hands and told that woman it was going to be alright. Ugliness was what made her die for a cause she knew was never going to lift her out of a squalor that her family had struggled with for generations. Ugliness was what made him look at faces that opposed him and still decide that he was not going to pick that stone or utter that curse. Ugliness was what made him think that his justice and freedom were for naught if the man in the next room did not have his justice and freedom granted to him and in equal measure. Ugliness breathed in his breaths when he said an eye for an eye, and the world will go blind. Ugliness was the reason she said that if you love until it hurts there can be no more hurt only love. Ugliness was what made that promising scholar turn his back on years of academic excellence to join an army he was so clearly unfit for. For Queen and Country was what he said. Ugliness was what swam in their veins when they suspended the death sentence because they believed that Human Rights were fundamental, that they were rights for not some, not a majority but every human being. If you seek someone to blame, blame ugliness. Ugliness was what made that mother contend the sentence against her son with every thing she had and did not have. Courage? No, that was Ugliness. Ugliness is what makes that mandarin stay true to his oaths and that wife true to her vows. Ugliness is what makes the little girl kneel beside her bed every night and pray for the hands that beat her. For the tongues that curse her and for a government that does not acknowledge her. Ugliness is not a beautiful thing, a beautiful thing is that which has tried to imitate Ugliness and failed.. Ugliness is ugly.

A History of Greece Essay

Western Civilization owes much of its development to Greek history because most of the current principles and knowledge of man was derived from this ancient culture. The foundations of mathematics, science, medicine, philosophy, politics and even the different forms of art nowadays were first established long before Christ was born in these Mediterranean islands. The Bronze Age (3000 BCE to 1100 BCE) Bronze became a heavily used metal in Greece during 3000 B. C. It was used to make different tools and ancient battle weapons that were all part of Greek daily life. The three great civilizations that are worth studying were born on different parts of Greece. The Minoans settled on Crete at around 2600 B. C. This community got its name from Minos, a legendary son of Zeus, who ruled Crete and rid it of sea pirates (Minos, 2007). By the year 2000 B. C. , these people were able to establish a very dynamic community life marked by favorable trade activities that helped make its citizens rich. The people of Minoa became known for their palaces and socio-economic political organization. The first evidence of Greek writing called Linear A, came from this period. There remain specific evidences that Minoans held great but peaceful influence over the islands of the Aegean despite being naval conquerors. At around 1500 B. C. , records seem to imply that a volcano on Santorini erupted which caused major earthquake and huge tidal waves that could have wiped out the Minoan civilization (Greeka, n. d. ). Mycaenaeans, another community evidenced to have come from the north in around 2000 B. C. , settled on the main island and became the center of trade after the reign of the Minoans. The previous centuries’ records show that these two civilizations had a complex relationship in that it had strong business connections to each other but were also competing in their dominance of the Mediterranean. However, with the sudden disappearance of the Minoan civilization, the Mycenaeans became the trade hub during the 1400 B. C. to 1200 B. C. with â€Å"much of the Minoan cultural tradition transferred to the main island† (Mycenaean Civilization, 2007). Some of their differences with the Minoans, however, were shown through their use of armors in battles and better fortified territories. Mycenaeans are also noted for their beards. The people of Mycenaea chose to live in smaller units or kingdoms but were united by one dialect. The story of the Trojan War seems to be based on some facts between the Mycenaeans and the â€Å"inhabitants of the Troad, or Troas, in Anatolia† which is now Turkey (Trojan War, 2007). There are indications that when Troad was afflicted by a terrible fire, the Mycenaeans wanted to conquer the city. The greatness of Mycenaean community ended at around 1200 B. C. when â€Å"crops began to fail and famine† gripped Greece (Ancient Greeks, n. d. ), This caused â€Å"peasant rebellions and internal warfare (Greeka, n. d. ). The Cycladic community began in the different isles of the Aegean which were in the middle of Crete and mainland Greece. The Cyclade area was a vital location because it was the Greece’s business connection to the rest of Europe and Asia from which the Greeks learned many of their agricultural practices. This time period was characterized by a very fast growth in population and very dynamic development in all aspects of society. Sculpture using marble and pottery were popular art forms during this period in this area of Greece. The Dark Ages (1100 B. C. to 800 B. C. ) The Dark Ages are called so because little evidence could indicate what happened during this time frame. There are some findings that Dorians, a Greek-speaking tribe from the North, may have caused the decline of Mycenaean civilization. â€Å"The Dorians kept power entirely to themselves, creating a ruling military class which they solely occupied’ (Dorian, 2007). It seems that the centralized systems were broken and that monarchies dominated the political structure. This period’s significant contribution to Greek history, however, seems to show that it was at this time when Homer wrote the Iliad which included the epic of the Trojan War (Greeka, n. d. ). Archaic Period (800B. C. to 500 B. C. ) During the Archaic Period, Aristocratic Republics replaced the political structure of Greek civilization and foreign influence abound. It is during this time that human and mythological figures began to appear in different art forms. The first Olympic game was held in 776 B. C. wherein a cook named Koroibas won the 600 foot race called stadion (The Games, n. d. ). These festivals were held for the God on Mount Olympus, Zeus. People felt that Greece at his point in time, was overpopulated and began to migrate to other European territories bringing with them their advanced culture. Coins became a currency at around 600 B. C. (Ancient Greek Civilizations, 2003) due to the influence of traders from Asia Minor where the first coin was supposedly made. Panathenaic festivals became popular sometime in 566 B. C. This very important occasion celebrated for numerous days sometime between July and August, supposedly Athena’s birthday, was well-anticipated because anyone can join except for slaves. It consisted of contests, processions and sacrifices (The Panathenaic Festival, n. d. ). Democracy Another very significant contribution of this period is the birth of democracy in Athens at around 508 B. C. There were two types of people in Greece. Men who were born in the city they resided in were called citizens while all other individuals are considered non-citizens. Only citizens have the choice of politicians and vote in plebiscites. There were large conventions called â€Å"The Assembly† that must be attended by at least 6, 000 citizens before it was considered official enough to be heard by the government. This meeting was done regularly wherein citizens may address their concerns regarding laws that needed to be implemented. A body of law-makers called Council was made up of 500 citizens which was changed annually. The members held the task of making new laws and debated on how these could be best implemented. Life in Greece There was an â€Å"agora† in the middle of each Greek city (Ancient Greeks, n. d. ) which was sort of like a town square wherein merchants can trade their various goods whether native or foreign. This was the center of commerce wherein anyone, even foreigners, was allowed to buy what they wanted. It was also where men may hang out to with friends, know the latest political announcement or trade views with foreigners. Very few women could be seen in the agora and they were mostly female slaves who have been sent by their rich masters to shop for market goods. The most important infrastructure of the city were built around the agora. Because of the hot climate, Greeks prefer to wear light clothes which are evidenced on the carvings that present-day archeologists have been able to study. Depending on the warmth, some men even prefer to wear only their loincloth. During cold weather, they place a cloak over their normal clothes which are tunics or â€Å"chitons† – square shaped textile that are held at the shoulders using pins and around the waist by belts (Ancient Greeks, n. d. ). Women often wore a fancier shorter version called a peplos that was worn on top of the chiton. To take off boredom, these tunics were usually dyed and embroidered according to tastes. Protection for the feet was usually used when outside of the house and these came in the form of sandals and leather boots. Brooches and pins were necessary jewelry to fasten their chitons. The women adored every form of jewelry. The wealthy females also used make-up and allowed their slaves to fix their hair according to what was in fashion. At around 500 B. C. , men saw it fashionable to wear beards and short hair styles. Greek women family members usually shared the tasks of cooking but the wealthier ones could hire slaves to handle the responsibility. The diet was a merry mixture of fruits and vegetables during the summer and dried versions during the winter. Sometimes, the families are able to store enough fruit and make cheeses in summer months which could be enough to tide them over the winter. Those who were near the sea enjoyed its produce as long as the weather permitted a catch. Meat was considered to be an expensive food and the poor of society cannot afford it. When occasions do allow the impoverished to eat meat, they take advantage of the situation to eat every edible part†¦even the brains. The Role of Women in Greece Women enjoyed very little freedom in Greek society. Only wealthy women were allowed to get music or writing lessons at home. Only the rich seven year old boys were sent to the gymnasium (school) and returned after eight years to wait for another three years to become citizens. However, girls were not allowed to get education outside of the confines of her house. Much of a girl’s knowledge in music, dancing, cooking and weaving are imparted by their mothers. They were expected to follow whatever their husbands or fathers asked. A girl can get married even when she is just fifteen years old and is expected not to go back to her former home anymore. It is the wife’s responsibility to run the chores of the house and ensure the good services of the slaves. Because the streets were considered unsafe, most women are tied down to spend most of their time at home. Every now and then, the husband may give the woman a reprieve from boredom by taking her to the theater or allowing her to be accompanied outside the house by a male servant. Aside from doing housework, women made the clothes, blankets and whatever textile needs of their families. They also were expected to prepare the food needed for winter. How the Gods Influenced Greece The Greeks believed in many gods and built temples for each one. Each god was powerful up to a certain extent depending on what they ruled on: Poseidon was the god of the Sea, Hades ruled the underworld, Hera was the goddess of youth, Aris was the god of war, Athena was the goddess of wisdom, Apollo was the god of truth, and many more. Whenever misfortune beset them, the Greeks believed that these were caused by the gods’ anger. The temples were usually constructed on hilltops to show that the god or goddess was protecting their community. The area on which a temple is built is called acropolis. One can tell the riches of the city by looking at its temples. The wealthy ones built their temples using stone and had many different forms of artwork to beautify it. Each temple had a huge statue of the god or goddess. Athens built their statue of Athena using ivory and gold (Ancient Greeks, n. d. ). Sacrifice offerings such as food and animals were placed on a table within the temple before the individual pursues to worship his god in the courtyard which had an altar. Intellectual Growth in Greece Although the Greeks attributed most of the occurrences of their daily lives to the activities of the gods, at around 500 B. C. , they began to find out more about the world. Philosophers and many scholars who thirsted for more knowledge regarding mathematics, medicine, astronomy and geography lived during this time. Some of these famous people are Plato, who wrote about politics, Aristotle whose interest led him to discover many information on biology, Parmenides who hypothesized that the world was spherical, Archimedes who invented the Archimedian screw that spiraled irrigation to high farmlands and Phythagoras who is still popular in the mathematical arena for his right angles. The Abode Most homes in Greece at that time were made of stone or clay. There were bungalows and two-storey houses with roofs made of tiles or reeds. The flooring was also made of tiles to ensure the cool temperature inside the houses. These houses were built in the middle of courtyards with walls and a sturdy gate. Altars were not only found to be in the temples but also within the courtyards of the houses as well. This was where the family members can worship their gods and leave their food and wine as offerings. Wood was the primary element used to make furniture but these can sometimes be accentuated with ivory and different metals. More families lived in the rural areas compared to the cities wherein the rich usually prefer to reside. The wealthy may have residences in the city while their servants take the responsibility of maintaining their countryside homes. The poorer farmers had the help of the children to do the agricultural chores such as herding sheep and goats or ploughing the fields. Crops like grapes and olives grew well in the stony land but wheat to make bread had to be bought from Egyptians. These grapes either became raisins or wine while the olives became oil or pickles. Farmers also took care of farm animals because they are excellent sources of basic needs like clothing, milk and meat. The Persian Wars The Persian Wars began to affect Greek life in 490 BC, â€Å"with a Persian invasion in Greece led by Darius the Great of Thrace† (History of Ancient Greece, n. d. ). Darius’ army was almost crushed by his first attempt to conquer the Danube if not for the Ionian Greeks who were his allies at that time. However, this made the Ionians realize that they should rebel from the empire and they asked for the support of the other city-states to go against Persia. This started the popularly known Ionian Revolt. Only the Athenians gave ships to the effort and were able to win the war. The Persians proudly retaliated, recaptured their supremacy in the battle of Lade in 494 B. C. and destroyed the city of Miletus by massacring or enslaving the inhabitants (Setzer, n. d. ). Angered by the Athenian bravado, Darius sought to battle on mainland Greece at around 492 B. C. but the ship that held his army became badly hit by a storm. Another fleet was sent and this time, Eretria was completely destroyed. The next target was Athens and the army went onshore at Marathon which led towards Athens. The Athenians tried to ask Spartans for help but due to â€Å"a religious festival, the Spartans were detained, and the 10,000 Athenians had to face the Persians aided only by 1,000 men from Plataea† (Greco-Persian Wars, 2007). However, the Athenians under the leadership of ten generals including Miltiades, were able to block this attempt which made the Persians retreat and reorganize to try and attack from the Saronic Belf. They were surprised to find the Athenian army back in their territory and ready to fight them again. The Persians went back to Asia Minor, defeated. A runner was sent to Athens to deliver the good news and this was how the Marathon Race got its name (The Persian War, n. d. ). After a decade from the first attempt of invasion, Darius’ son, Xerxes took the throne of Persian Emperor and wanted to target Greece. His strategy involved less violence because instead of attacking head on, he decided it would be best to send envoys to start negotiating with the different cities to surrender without battle. He constructed a bridge at Hellespont and ensured that a canal was dug across the isthmus to protect his army from storms while rounding the Cape of Mount Athos (Setzer, n. d. ). He collected his troops from every satrapy (territory within the Persian Empire) which numbered about 150,000 of the best soldiers from Persia and Mede while his naval fleet had about 1200 ships that were prepared against an estimated 300 brave warriors from Athens and Sparta. The large army of the Persians resulted to a slower pace in their attack and this gave the Greeks a chance to plan out their defense (Greco-Persian Wars, 2007). The different cities of Greece held a meeting to plan their defense which resulted to the delegation of the army to Sparta while Athens was in-charge of the navy fleet under Themistocles, an Athenian statesman (Kreis, 2006). They also consulted the Delphic Oracle. The oracle of Delphi was at Mount Parnassus where a Pythia (woman supposedly used by the God Apollo as his medium) could be asked to predict answers to their questions (Roach, 2001). The Pythia foretold that they would lose the battle and that their only chance of success was through a wooden wall. There were so many interpretations that could mean â€Å"wooden wall† but in the end, the Athenians took it to imply that the wooden walls were their ships. The Spartans suggested that the only way to position themselves well against the great army of Persia was by blocking them at the Isthmus of Corinth. The Athenians and authorities from Central Greece did not agree because their territories will be pillaged by the Persians before they reach the Isthmus of Corinth. However, Evaenetus, commander of the 10,000 Hoplites who decided to help Greece agreed with Sparta and so the minute number of soldiers repositioned themselves at the Isthmus of Corinth. The Spartans and Hoplites were at an advantageous position in Thermopylae until a â€Å"traitorous Greek led a Persian force through the hills to the rear of the Greek forces† (Kreis, 2006) for a surprise attack that led to a massacre. On the naval side, the Athenians left their city which allowed the Persians to burn it. Themistocles realized that battling with the Persians in the open sea will make them lose because of their minute number. He realized that the only way to win against the Persians was to turn their large army into their own handicap. This he did in the Battle of Salamis – a very narrow strait between Athens and the Island of Salamis. â€Å"He sent his best slave to Xerxes to tell him that the Greek navy was retreating to the Isthmus of Corinth to form a combined force with the army† (Moerbeek, 1998). He tricked Xerxes by sending a misleading message that the time of the Persian army to attack was at hand. Xerxes then allowed his unsuspecting contingent to enter the strait between Athens and the island of Salamis where a surprise attack by the Greeks was waiting for them. This caused the eventual defeat of the Persians. By 479 B. C. , the Greek forces had all conquered the Persian army and navy (Kreis, 2006). Conclusion The fast paced development of civilization owes its foundations to the very intelligent and industrious Greeks. Every aspect of modern day life has its roots on Ancient Greek mathematics, logic, philosophy, science, art and even politics. Wars were intelligently won through cunning minds and not annihilating weaponry. Our modern world can truly learn so much just by looking at its past. References Ancient Greek Civilizations. (2003). In Minnesota State University Mankato Online. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://www. mnsu. edu/emuseum/prehistory/aegean/timeline. html Ancient Greeks. (n. d. ). In Anglia Campus Online. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://www. angliacampus. com/public/pri/history/greeks/index. htm Dorian. (2007). In Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 12, 2007, from Encyclop? dia Britannica Online: http://www. eb. com:180/cgi-bin/g? DocF=micro/175/77. html Greco-Persian Wars. (2007). In Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 12, 2007, from Encyclop? dia Britannica Online: http://www. britannica. com/ebc/article-9037907 Greeka. (n. d. ). Greece History: Stone – Bronze Age. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://www. greeka. com/greece-stone-bronze-age. htm History of Ancient Greece. (n. d. ). In Think Quest. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://library. thinkquest. org/10805/history-g. html Kreis, S. (2006). Lecture 7: Classical Greece. In The History Guide. Retrieved June 12, 2007, from http://www. historyguide. org/ancient/lecture7b. html Minos. (2007). In Encyclop? dia Britannica. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from Encyclop? dia Britannica Online: http://www. britannica. com/eb/article-9052881 Moerbeek, M. (1998). Warfare in Hellas. Retrieved June 12, 2007, from http://monolith. dnsalias. org/~marsares/warfare/battle/salamis. html Mycenaean Civilization. In The Columbia Electronic Encyclopledia, 6th ed. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://www. infoplease. com/ce6/history/A0834633. html The Panathenaic Festival. (n. d. ). Brooklyn College Classics Department. Retrieved June 12, 2007, from http://depthome. brooklyn. cuny. edu/classics/dunkle/athnlife/rligious. htm The Persian War. (n. d. ). In Think Quest. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://library. think quest. org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/persian_war. htm Roach, J. (2001). Delphic Oracle’s Lips May Have Been Loosened by Gas Vapors. In National Geographic News. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://news. nationalgeographic. com/ news/2001/08/0814_delphioracle. html Setzer, T. (n. d. ). The Persian Invasion of Greece. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://www. cais- soas. com/CAIS/History/hakhamaneshian/greece_invasion. htm Trojan War. (2007). In Encarta Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia: http://encarta. msn. com

Moon Landing essays

Moon Landing essays Its the 1960s and America was at war. Thousands of Americans were dieing in a conflict that most people didnt even understand. Russia was dominating the space race five-one. It seemed America was now at the bottom of the world power spectrum. America needed something to be proud of so in 1969 we decided to land on the moon. It put hope in peoples lives and smiles on childrens faces. Although the moon landing was a landmark event for America, decades later many skeptics believe it never happened. The first evidence used by the skeptics is the picture of the American flag waving in the breeze on the moons surface. There is no air on the moons surface, nor is there any atmosphere to hold it if there was (Sibrel 4). So how does the flag flutter? It has to be fake. Secondly, about 20 miles from the Earth, there is a radiation belt named the Van Allen belt. Supposedly no human can get through this belt. If you tried than you would get hit with a dangerous, even lethal amount of radiation (Overstreet). The Space crafts had to go through these belts and there was no way the ships could afford to take all the weight of lead shielding with them (Moon Hoax?). The third and most common point is that there are no stars in the sky and odd shadows in the pictures taken on the surface of the moon. On the moon, there is only one light source, the sun (Sibrel 2). So how could there be shadows at different angles? There are also no stars in the sky. In fact, you will never see any stars in any photographs taken on the Moon (Overstreet). The flag used on the moon had a horizontal bar attached to it at the top. This was done so that the flag would stand out from the flagpole. There would be no wind on the moon, so any normal flag would just hang limply and unattractively down the pole (The Great Moon Hoax). It was waving because of the astronauts waving it back and forth t ...

How to Make Marketing Employee Performance Reviews Easy (Templates)

How to Make Marketing Employee Performance Reviews Easy (Templates) No one enjoys doing employee performance reviews. They’re often slightly uncomfortable conversations, and even in a best-case scenario, everyone involved feels relieved when they’re done. That isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for their value, necessity, or how we feel about them. However, they are valuable, they are necessary, and when conducted with a thoughtful process, they can be something you approach with less anxiety. When you can repeat that process effectively with consistent results, you can spend less time planning for reviews, and more time working through them efficiently with the results  you want. In this post, you’ll learn: Why are performance reviews important for marketing managers and teams? What steps should they include and which questions should be asked? How can marketing teams develop a repeatable review process that works? Best of all, this is the actual process the team  uses, which has been time-tested and shown to work well. In other words, this post is geared specifically toward what marketing managers need to know most about this topic. Be a Better Manager With Free Performance Review + Evaluation Form Templates.Be a Better Manager With Free Performance Review + Evaluation Form Templates Employee reviews don’t need to be overly complex. However, you will need to keep documentation of your conversation so you have something to reference in the future, to ensure the important details of the review aren’t forgotten later. Youll also need to accurately evaluate performance before going into each meeting. To get started, download these two templates: Marketing Performance Evaluation Form (Word): Answer six simple questions to gauge performance. Marketing Employee Performance Review Template (Word): Then, use this sheet to document the meeting. Both are short and simple to streamline the process effectively. Grab them quick before moving on:How Can Help Evaluate Team Productivity? As a marketing project management platform, is purpose-built for managing busy marketing teams. That includes your tasks and workflows for all projects and making sure everyone is getting their stuff done on time. One way measures that last item is with Team Performance Reports. It measures who’s rocking it and who’s falling behind so you can actually know who’s hitting their deadlines. Here's a quick look at how it works: What Exactly is an Employee Performance Review? Here’s a short definition this post will work with: An employee performance review is an opportunity for team members and managers to assess what’s going well, what isn’t going well, and what’s necessary for future success with a company or organization. There are a few things to note about this definition: It shouldn’t feel like an interrogation. A good review shouldn’t focus solely on negatives. They aren’t one-and-done meetings. Feedback gathered in a review should be considered and implemented throughout the year. This should be a two-way conversation. They aren’t just about assessing the team member’s performance; they’re also an opportunity to get the employee’s take on how they’re doing and how the company is doing, too. Recommended Reading: The Best Way to Plan a Successful Marketing Performance Management Process What Are the Benefits to Running Employee Reviews for Marketers? First things first, it’s important to understand that these meetings are more than just an annual requirement that you have to fulfill to keep HR happy. Here are a few reasons why they shouldn’t be blown off or phoned in without careful consideration for their purpose. Your team members need an honest assessment of their performance. If they don’t know how they’re doing (positively or negatively) or where they need to improve, they’re unlikely to reach their potential. You need to know what your team members need to succeed. Likewise, you can’t help your team achieve success unless you understand what they need from you. If you don’t set up employees for success, someone else will (when they leave your company). The market for marketing talent is tight. Don’t let people leave because they didn’t feel supported. Help Your Team, Help Your Company (Before They Leave) As a case in point, according to Smart Insights, 54.9% of marketers switch companies in order to find a new challenge. Why not provide that challenge for them instead of leaving them to find it somewhere else? And if that statistic doesn’t have you convinced, these might: Who Should Be in an Employee Review Meeting? In most cases, a marketing manager, their supervisor(s), and the employee themselves should be sufficient. If possible, including the CEO too is a good idea (at , CEO Garrett Moon offers direct feedback to each employee in the company during reviews). Then, once the review is completed, human resources will likely need to approve review paperwork (and any pay raises the team member might be due). Work with your HR department if you’re unsure what your internal processes are there. How Often Should Reviews Be Conducted? Here’s a common misconception: staff reviews are a once-a-year deal where you get all your feedback out at once. This could not be more incorrect, but unfortunately, it’s a common attitude (particularly at large companies where one-on-one communication might be challenging to schedule, or just doesn’t happen organically). So, how often should feedback be scheduled? Consider the following: Weekly syncs: Set up a recurring one-on-one meeting with each team member to check in on how things are going. Quarterly check-ins: Then, schedule quarterly meetings to review how things have gone year-to-date and what’s needed for success over the long term. Annual reviews: Finally, these are holistic performance evaluations that take the entire previous year into consideration. For marketers, ongoing mentorship with leadership is invaluable for development. Also, this post will stress this point multiple times: an annual review should not be the first time an employee hears a given piece of feedback. This is a sign they don’t feel like they can be open and honest with how things are going outside of times allotted for feedback, and that’s corrosive for everyone’s productivity and happiness at work. Recommended Reading: 6 Things You Need To Know About Marketing Management (+ 4 Free Templates) Scheduling Your Review Meetings The best way to make sure your review meetings actually happen is to schedule them on a regular basis. Schedule the following using your company’s shared Google or Outlook calendar: Weekly meetings: Stick to a set time each week. Quarterly reviews: Stick as closely to a 90-day window as you can. Annual reviews: Same as with quarterly reviews, they should be close to their start date each year. Map these all out in advance so they don’t catch anyone off guard. If you’re a customer and use Google Calendar, you can even sync your calendar with with Zapier, so they’ll appear alongside all your other projects. Evaluating Employees Prior to Your Meetings Before heading into a review, you’ll need to know for yourself what you honestly think about each employee’s performance, both in terms of what they’re doing well and where they can improve. It can help to have some sort of checklist to run through when assessing each team member, especially if you have a large team. In order to keep your meetings focused and conversational, do this before meeting face to face. Here’s an outline of a checklist you can use: Does the team member demonstrate high level of job knowledge? Does the team member complete work accurately and on time? Does the team member work well with others? Does the team member communicate effectively? Does the team member demonstrate initiative? Does the team member consistent show up to work on time? These are basic performance-oriented questions you’ll need to assess, and running through them as an exercise might help you identify strengths and areas in need of improvement. If you’d prefer this in a Word doc, there’s one included in this post’s template bundle. You can jump back up to the top of the post here to download it quick. Here's what it looks like: Planning Your Review Questions Once you’re face-to-face for a review, what should you ask? It might be tempting to prepare a detailed list of questions to dig deep into the needs of your team members. That might work. After all, it stands to reason that more granular questions will get more detailed answers, right? Well, you might be able to have a more productive and insightful conversation by keeping your questions simple. There are only three you really need to ask: What’s going well? This can be an open-ended discussion around what’s going right for the employee, their work, and the company. What isn’t going well? Same as above, but for things that need improvement. What’s needed for a successful future? What should the employee keep doing? What should they change? And likewise, is there anything you or the company may need to consider as well? Generally, it’s best to keep this an open-ended conversation. But, as that conversation moves forward, how do you make sure it stays on track and the words you choose to maintain a productive tone?

Exxon Mobile and Shell Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exxon Mobile and Shell - Research Paper Example Shell is also engaged in same type of oil business as Mobil did even though their abilities are comparatively less than that of the Exxon Mobil Company. This paper briefly compares Exxon Mobil and Shell in terms of their current policies, the way of operation, marketing strategies and international expansion etc. Record oil prices for the past few years helped oil companies in general and Exxon Mobil in particular to accumulate huge profits. The financial conditions of Exxon Mobil is far better than Shell. â€Å"Exxon Company has nearly $40 billion in cash reserves and another $225 billion in repurchased stock. Thats enough money to pay a nearly 60 percent premium, in cash, for every share of its next largest competitor - Royal Dutch Shell† (Daily News). In short Shell is nothing in front of Mobil as far as the market capitalization or financial abilities are concerned even though Shell is placed second behind the Exxon (see the figure given below for more details). According to many economical and business analysts, Exxon may buy the Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company in the near future itself in order to establish an absolute monopoly in the oil market. Even though the oil prices were rising up, Shell like oil companies failed to develop new projects to take advantage of the favorable business climate. On the other hand, Exxon Mobil succeeded developing new projects for the maximum exploitation of the higher oil price. Both shell and Exxon Mobil give more priority to the evaluation of market interests as part of their marketing strategies. The call for energy efficient vehicles and environment friendly energy sources is growing in the world because of the severe environmental problems caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Under such circumstances, it is not advisable for these oil companies to increase their production beyond certain levels. They are closely watching the market trends and making changes in their oil prices