The Term “Art” Essay Sample Essay Example

The Term â€Å"Art† Essay Sample Paper The subject matter of this essay is based on the original article The Trouble with (the term) Art written by Carolyn Dean (professor of History of Art and Visual Culture at the University of California) and published in the Art Journal, Vol. 65, no. 2 (summer 2006), pp 25-32. As the title indicates, the theme of that article and of this essay should be â€Å"art† or, perhaps, more precisely the concept of â€Å"art† itself â€Å"for what art seems to be at the very heart of the issue† (Carolyne Dean). The author of the article emphasizes the fact that the term â€Å"art† has been used by many scholars in various disciplines with different connotations. Carolyn Dean focuses on the â€Å"so-called AOA fields (Africa, Oceania, America)†, that is on cultures often categorized as â€Å"primitive†. The scholars working in these fields often incorrectly describe the products of these cultures as being â€Å"primitive art†, by contrasting them with what is commonly seen as West-European art. What is the  major question  in Deans article? The major question points to the error of using the term â€Å"art† simply for anything that is touched, moved, used or produced by mankind anywhere and at any time on the planet. The greatest problem is that we keep calling things â€Å"art† without regard to the objects original purpose as given to them by those indigenous people who used or fabricated them in the first place. It is a fact, that in the many cultures whose products we call â€Å"primitive art,† there has been no concept of â€Å"art† in the contemporary West-European understanding of this word. Certainly, there have been cultures that have developed a different understanding and appreciation of objects. Though, in many cases, their primal role and worthiness stay hidden in the history because there is no one left to be asked if there was an aesthetic evaluation present or if there was any concept of â€Å"art† at all. So, when we find the remains of an older culture, we simply appl y our â€Å"Western† values and use our â€Å"Western† points of views. Instead, we should try to look at it through the eyes of the culture we are trying to study, on the basis of our findings. Unfortunately, we tend to have a commercial approach to it: how valuable is this piece of â€Å"primitive art†?. Even worse, it is not only the bygone cultures that we approach in this manner but also those cultures we have discovered in the colonized territories since the late Middle-Ages. We will write a custom essay sample on The Term â€Å"Art† Essay Sample specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Term â€Å"Art† Essay Sample specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Term â€Å"Art† Essay Sample specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Can we ever possibly undo the damage that has already been done to all these cultures? What kind of action should be taken when a culture with a concept of â€Å"art† and one without such a concept meet? Should this concept be introduced to the culture where such a concept is missing? Should it be implanted at all costs? What if there is a reason why the concept of â€Å"art† has not jet evolved in that culture or, perhaps, what if we do or did not recognize it has already been there? Then the remains of cultures which had known the concept of â€Å"art† may in a way be called â€Å"art†. On the other hand, there may have been cultures that never developed aesthetic feelings, then nothing these cultures would have left behind could be â€Å"art†. However, it is not for us to decide on such a thing and therefore we simply apply our concept of â€Å"art† to what may or may not be â€Å"art†. Has mankind learned from any of its mistakes? â€Å"This is art!† I have always had a problem with this term and much more trouble with its interpretation. It usually leads me to an inner dispute where, on the one hand, there stands subjective me designating everything that has been adapted and created by man as â€Å"art†, and, on the other hand there is an objective me recognizing as â€Å"art† only a few things accepted as â€Å"art† collectively by the whole human society. Here is a short demonstration: The subjective me says: When I draw a sketch, paint a picture, take a photograph, using a random melody, prepare a meal, walk, dream, etc., I consider myself it producing or even being an object of â€Å"art†. Why shouldnt everything I say and the way I say it be approached as â€Å"art?† Everybody is unique! We all are in a way a form of â€Å"art† and there are many aesthetic distinctions between all of us to evaluate our products and ourselves. The objective me replies: We a re unique individuals but we all cant live on producing â€Å"art†, unless we would call â€Å"art† all human activity. Nonetheless, things like cars, customer goods and all the articles of mass production should not be called â€Å"art†. Surely, there is the design of these products, which can be marked as â€Å"art†. This dialogue could go on forever as well as might the one in the real world. Thanks for reading this article I found out that there is a real discussion taking place. I have even thought about joining the discussion myself and, at any rate, I am really looking forward to learning the outcome. Carolyn Dean tries to resume the discussions on the subject by presenting previous attempts to find solutions and definitions for the term â€Å"art†. She also provokes those in the field to replace the so much hated term â€Å"primitive art†. This term has some supporters among those using it. There were more and less courageous attempts throughout modern history to arouse debates on this very burning issue – I personally like the phrase Adrian Gerbrands used in 1957 during one of the first discussions on this subject; back then he called it â€Å"the problem of the name†. Deans article may encourage some art historians, anthropologists, and other related scholars to continue in the debate and eventually agree on the terminology to be used. Nevertheless, that stays an open question.

Cultural Anthropology Research Proposal Essay Example

Cultural Anthropology Research Proposal Essay Example Cultural Anthropology Research Proposal Essay Cultural Anthropology Research Proposal Essay Essay Topic: Maus Cultural anthropology is the science of the culture as the complex of material objects, ideas, values, beliefs, and models of behavior in all its forms and all the historical stages of its development. In the bright meaning, cultural anthropology is the science which studies the action of the human being and the results of his activity. As a separate independent discipline, cultural anthropology originated in the USA in the second half of the 19th century. The brightest thinkers of cultural anthropology are Franz Boas, Ruth Benedict, Marcel Mauss, Lucien Levy-Bruhl, Claude Levi-Strauss, etc. It is evident that there is an excellent relation between cultural anthropology and ethnology because both sciences study the human activity through the long run of history. In fact, ethnology is a narrower science which dwells on the language, folklore, material art and probably nothing more. Cultural anthropology has a more profound approach towards the issue because it studies nations and the whole humanity as a single unity. It compares the worldview, material and moral values, factors which influence the human diversity on the planet, etc. Anthropology studies the rational thought so that it becomes connected with psychology, philosophy, and sociology. Cultural anthropology can be called a fundamental discipline without exaggeration because it touches upon the most critical aspects of the human life and all the forms of the human existence. Naturally, such events as Great Geographic Discoveries, Industrial Revolution, World Wars, etc. have caused severe impact on the human mind and behavior and the results of the human activity. No wonder, the science is still quite relevant and generates new and new approaches and methods of the research of the problematic fundamental issues. Cultural anthropology is a complicated and broad issue for the research, but the student can focus on the selected problems which require additional research. The young person can generate an exciting and thought-provoking project which can answer the disturbing questions related to cultural anthropology and the principles of its functioning. The student has the opportunity to observe the selected problem in detail, prove to the professor its relevance, importance, and usefulness for the discipline. Apparently, creativity is always respected so one has the chance to complete a persuasive research proposal which will undoubtedly be accepted by the professor. If writing is difficult, the student can follow the valuable piece of advice borrowed from a free sample research proposal on cultural anthropology written by the experienced writer. The young professional, who requires the hint for writing a well-structured and formatted text, can find the quality solution to his trouble in a free example research proposal on cultural anthropology found on the Internet.

Clinical Research Article for Publication in Journal - 1

Clinical Research for Publication in Journal - Article Example Based on the findings, the study discusses and creates a connection between compliance, schizophrenia and the existing effects on male recovery process. Furthermore, the research seeks to establish routing causes of non-compliance in the attempt to create the connection. In the field of medicine, compliance also known as capacitance, adherence, or Concordance is the degree and willingness to which a patient suitably follows medical prescriptions from health professionals. Ordinarily, it refers to drug compliance, but the vast medical field can also attribute it to other situations such as medical equipment use, self-directed training, self care or psychological sessions (Fadem, 2014, p. 106). Notably, compliance is a tricky situation affected by both the patient and the health-care giver. Arguably, a positive physician-patient rapport is the most imperative factor in re-shaping compliance; nonetheless the soaring cost of prescription medication also contributes a major role (McEvoy, 2006, p. 16). In many circumstances, compliance gets confused with concordance; however, the latter remains the course by which a healthcare provider and patient make decisions together regarding a treatment process. Chief barriers to conformity include poor health liter acy, ethnicity, age difference, the complexity of contemporary medication regimens, course completion, and lack of conception to treatment benefits. Concurrently, cases of non-discussed percussions, poor communication and high cost of prescription medicine greatly affect compliance. Undeniably, efforts to positively transform compliance aims at simplifying prescription packaging, initiating effective medication reminders, improving patient instruction, and reducing the number of simultaneous medications. Globally, non-compliance is a foremost impediment to the successful delivery of

Wal-Mart Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wal-Mart Finance - Essay Example In US, Wal-Mart operates over 4,300 stores and also operates the Sam’s Club chain. Wal-Mart Stores US have different subsidiaries namely Wal-Mart Discount Stores in 692 locations, Wal-Mart Supercentres in 2933 locations, Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets in 183 locations, SAM’s CLUB in 609 locations and small format stores. In Argentina, Wal-Mart has 4 subsidiaries with 64 retail chain units. Wal-Mart has 10 subsidiaries in Brazil with 484 units in their retail chain. Wal-Mart Canada has 2 subsidiaries with 325 units of retail outlets. In Chile, there are 285 units in their retail chain under 6 subsidiaries. In China Wal-Mart have 6 subsidiaries under which there are 338 units. In Costa Rica Wal-Mart have 4 subsidiaries with a retail chain of 183 units. Under Mexico y Centroamerica there are 3 subsidiaries also performs business in El Salvador with 78 retail chain units. In Germany, Wal-Mart had 85 stores which were taken over by Metro and now Wal-Mart has no operational ac tivities in Germany. (Wal-Mart abandons German venture) In India Wal-Mart have 6 retail chain units under the subsidiary called as Best Price. Mexico y Centroamerica also operates at Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua with 177 units, 58 units and 62 units of retail outlets under them. In Mexico Wal-Mart have 1789 retail outlets under 6 subsidiary of Walmart de Mexico y Centroamerica. ... idiaries of Wal-Mart in the various nations mentioned above were under taken by Wal-Mart with the help of acquisitions, some of them are Asda, the Seiyu Ltd., Seiyu Group, etc. (International Operations) For Wal-Mart if we divide the geographic region of operation as International and US market. Then it will be evident that, the Net Sales value of Wal-Mart in US exceeded over $260 billion and 3,804 retail units for the year of 2010-11. The operating income also increased by 3.1% to $20 billion (approx). While the consolidated net sales figure of Wal-Mart in the 15 countries they are operating net sales value amounted to $109 billion and 4,557 retail units for the year 2010-11. The net sales also grew by 12% and the operating income increased by $5.6 billion. The net sales value of Sam’s Club was $49 billion and 609 retail units for the year 2010-11. The increase in net sales was 3.5% over the previous year. (Wal-Mart 2011 Annual Report, 4-9) b) Wal-Mart’s Foreign Exchan ge (FX) Risk Management Policy Is centralized or decentralized? A firm opts to take risk for maximizing their profit on their areas of unique expertise. While, a firm with non-financial activities tries to minimize their foreign exchange risk and interest rate risk (Wallace, 2). Wal-Mart as a retail management chain operates in US and 15 other countries. As per the Foreign Currency Translation policy of Wal-Mart â€Å"The assets and liabilities of all foreign subsidiaries are translated using exchange rates at the balance sheet date. The income statements of foreign subsidiaries are translated using average exchange rates. Related translation adjustments are recorded as a component of other accumulated comprehensive income.† (Reimer, 774) This shows that all the financial transaction systems are

Essay Question Rewrite Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Essay Question Rewrite - Assignment Example Variances in connotations make new descriptive terminology and expressions assume new meanings. The meanings of words may also aimlessly â€Å"drift†, their functions having different value or implications with time. Furthermore, colloquial phrases may be regrouped to create new and unpredictable meanings that are different from the initial purpose of the phrase based on word grouping. 2. The Theme â€Å"Today’s Dialect is Tomorrow’s Language† runs through the text (p.92). McWhorter argues this as a kind of Mantra for the linguistic discussion: â€Å"Dialect is all there is.† Using McWhorter’s analysis of the eight languages of the Chinese Versus eight Chinese dialects, support your understanding of this theme in Chapter 2. McWhorter used the theme of â€Å"Today’s Dialect is Tomorrow’s Language† to create the impression that language’s true understanding is obtained through the analysis of different dialects that are broadly considered as language because it is their direction that determine what will eventually be considered as proper usage over time. Various language branches with distance themselves become languages over time. 3. The author describes how language proceeds in myriad directions. Dialects form by migration, communication and education. How would you relate examples of the family tree of making stew in discussing how language change and mixing is inherent according to the author (p. 93-94). Chapter 3 In order to understand McWhorter’s ideas on the mixing and change of language, one has to analyze the way he compares language to cross pollination. Change of language is natural as various dialects are formed by groups of people change and move language to suit their specific needs in a way that complies with the â€Å"family tree† metaphor. Furthermore, the author notes that as speakers of various dialects migrate and communicate with other

Effects of the Environment on Exxon Mobil Corporation

Effects of the Environment on Exxon Mobil Corporation Oil and gas industry has already become one of the leading industries in the world. The company that has significant role and makes vast amount of profit from energy industry is Exxon Mobil Corporation. History. Exxon Mobil Corporation or also known as Exxon Mobil is an American international petroleum and natural gas company, which was created in 1999. Company has an extensive history for about 125 years. It has had history since 1870, the year when John D. Rockefeller and his partners established Standard Oil Company. This company was very successful for thirty years and by the year 1878, it was controlling 95% of US the oil industry (Wikipedia, Exxon Mobil, 2010). Nevertheless, with public protest at a culmination in 1911, the Supreme Court of the United States decided to divide one big company into 34 small companies. Two of these companies were Jersey Standard and Socony, which finally became Exxon and Mobil. In 1998, these companies signed an agreement, which cost $73.7 billion , in order to merge and create a new company called Exxon Mobil Corporation. The merger was completed on November 30, 1999 and this corporation became the largest company on the planet (Wikinvest, Stock-XOM, 2010) Products. Exxon Mobil produces fuels, lubricants and petrochemicals worldwide. Company operates in three main categories such as upstream, downstream and chemicals. Upstream operations are important part of a company, which are involved in the exploration along with production of oil and natural gas. Exxon Mobils upstream sector earned $17 billion in 2009, which means 88.1% of 2009 earnings (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009 ) Downstream sector is involved in the refining as well as marketing of oil and natural gas. It makes 9.3% of profit with $1.8 billion in 2009 year. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Chemicals division uses oil to produce and sell commodity petrochemicals and earned $2.3 billion, which made 11.9% of profit in 2009. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009 ) Exxon Mobil Corporation operates with three brands such as Exxon, Esso and Mobil. All these brands are well known around the world, because there are 28,000 Exxons and Essos service stations in 118 countries. As for Mobil brand, it can be example of motor oil Mobil 1, which is also popular in Uzbekistan. (Corporate Watch, 2008) Market share. According to Global 2000 list of Forbes, the company has been ranked #4 between largest public companies in the world (Forbes, 2010). In addition, it is #1 in oil and gas industry in United States, which produces about 3% of the worlds oil and 2% of the world energy sources(Exxon Mobil, 2010). Exxon Mobils net income was $19.3 billion and its total revenue was $310.58 billion in 2009 (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, p 2009). In contrast with previous years it is much less, as in 2008 the net income of company was $45.2 billion and total revenue exceeded $459.6 billion (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, p 2009). It can be said that economic crisis influenced companys profit significantly, but in spite of this challenges, company continuing working hard and improving the quality of its products. The results of hard work can be seen from the average of daily production that was 170 thousand barrels of oil and 149 million cubic feet of sales gas in 2009 (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, p 2009). In third quarter of 2010, Exxon Mobil reported that earnings during quarter were $7,350 million, up 55% in comparison with the third quarter in 2009 (Exxon Mobil, 3rd quarter report, p 2010). Company size. The size of the company can be seen from the number of employees and sectors around the world. Exxon Mobil has approximately 80,700 employees in 77 countries (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2010) and also it has 15 operating divisions such as: ExxonMobil Exploration Company ExxonMobil Development Company ExxonMobil Production Company ExxonMobil Gas and Power Marketing Company ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company ExxonMobil Refining and Supply Company SeaRiver Maritime ExxonMobil Fuels Marketing Company ExxonMobil Lubricants Specialties Company ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company ExxonMobil Chemical Company ExxonMobil Information Technology Global Real Estate and Facilities Global Procurement Business Support Centers (Wikipedia, Exxon Mobil, 2010) Company Location. The main center of operations of the company is located at Irving in Texas. The upstream and chemical divisions of Exxon Mobil are at Houston in Texas, while the downstream division is placed in Fairfax in Virginia (Exxon Mobil, 2010). Effect of Economic Environment Economic growth. Economic growth is one the main factors that can affect companys revenue and expenditure. Exxon Mobil Corporation is very influenced by economic conditions in United States. In the third quarter of 2010, economic conditions in USA were slightly high than it was in the second quarter. The Gross Domestic Product rate expended at 2.5 percent and this lead to increasing of product demand of Exxon Mobil (Trading Economics, 2010). Due to higher demand for oil, earnings of company in this district were $7.4 billion, up 55% from third quarter of 2009 (Exxon Mobil Financial and Operating Report, 2009). Income level of population. Population is very important aspect of every industry and its income level have an effect on product prices. For instance, median income of population in the United States for 2009 year was $49,777 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010) and this changed prices for crude oil. In 2009, price for per barrel of oil was about $45.88 (Oil Prices, 2010). However, due to significant changes in economy in 2010 year crude oil price averaged roughly $78 per barrel (Oil prices, 2010) Interest rate. The standard interest rate in the United States was 0.25 percent for 2010 and rate decisions were divided between the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Open Market Committee (Trading economics, 2010). For Exxon Mobil Corporation global oil demand is expected to increase by almost 35% until 2030, which will make huge profits for the company (Exxon Mobil, 2010) 2 Inflation. Inflation rate is also one of the factors that can actively have an effect on product prices. The last report about inflation rate in United States was made in October of 2010 and the rate was 1.2 percent (Trading Economics, 2010). As it can be seen from the table above, the inflation rate is decreasing in United States in 2010 year. These fluctuations can slightly change the price for gasoline. As an example we can look into the history, during The First World War price for gasoline was $0.25 per gallon (Trading Economics, 2010). However, due to inflation rate in 2001 the price of gasoline has averaged about $2.00 per gallon in inflation-adjusted dollars over the last 80 years (Exxon Mobil, 2009). As inflation rate will increasing in the future and also prices for energy will increase, too. 3 Fiscal Policy. One of the governments influences to company is a fiscal policy and this factor has very big influence on companys revenue. From 2005 through 2009, Exxon Mobil Corporation taxes for United States were $63 billion. In 2009, Exxon Mobils tax rate was 47 percent and its tax expenses amounted to $81 billion around the world. It is more than four times of companys earnings. (Exxon Mobil, Taxes, 2010) 4 Exchange rates. Exchange rates help company to trade worldwide. The appreciation and depreciation of currency can be either positive or negative. It depends on economics conditions in particular country. For example, Exxon Mobils effects of exchange rate changes on cash were $520 million in 2009 (Wikinvest, Exxon, 2009). However, corporation makes limited use of currency exchange contracts, futures contracts, product forwards and swaps to mitigate the impact of changes in currency values and product prices. Effect of Industry Environment Petroleum industry. There are about 200 oil companies around the world and totally all of them produced 72.26 million barrels of oil every day in 2009 (Petro Strategies, Inc, 2010). A total product shipment of petroleum annually is about $219 billion, which confirms that the petroleum industry is one of the largest industries. (Petro Strategies, 2010) Exxon Mobil Corporation is one the six major public oil companies in the world. Its competitors are: Chevron Corporation Royal Dutch Shell British Petroleum Total S.A. ConocoPhilips Chevron. The second largest oil and gas company, behind Exxon Mobil in United States is Chevron Corporation. Chevron Corporation or Chevron was known as Standard Oil of California and was established amid the antitrust break up of John D. Rockefellers Standard Oil Company in 1911(Wikinvest, Chevron, 2010). It was included on the Seven Sister list, which was leading the world energy industry in the early 20th century. Chevron operates in 180 countries and has network of gas stations such as Chevron, Texaco and Caltex. The number of employees in 2009 year was approximately 67,000 people worldwide (Wikipedia, Chevron, 2010). In the third quarter of 2010, the earning of company was $3.77 billion, or $1.87 per share. In comparison the earnings of Chevron are two times less than earnings of Exxon Mobil in third quarter which was $7.4 billion (Wikinvest, Chevron, 2010). Royal Dutch Shell. Royal Dutch Shell or commonly known as Shell, is one of the major private sector energy companies in the world. Shell operates in renewable sources of energy including wind solar energy in more than 140 countries. In 2009, Shells profitability was effected by weak demand, high inventory levels and low margins, as a result the profit of company was $9.8 billion for full year and this result was 69% down than 2008 earnings (Wikinvest, Shell, 2010). The headquarters of company located in The Hague, Netherlands and registered offices at the Shell Centre in London, United Kingdom (Wikinvest, Shell, 2010). British Petroleum. According to Forbes Global 2000 list the BPs rank through public companies by their revenue is 10th with $16.68 billion (Forbes, 2010). BP operates in more than 80 countries and produces 3.8 million barrels of oil equivalent per day. It employed 80,300 people in 2009(BP, Annual report, 2009). The major division of BP is BP America and located in Houston, Texas. Company has six main brands such as: BP Castrol Arco Aral Am/pm Wild Bean Cafà © The headquarters of company located in London, United Kingdom (BP, 2010) Total S.A. Total S.A. or formerly known as Total Fina S.A. was formed after World War 1, when Raymond Poincarà © the French Prime Minister rejected the idea being partner with Royal Dutch Shell and gave new idea about creating new French oil company (Wikipedia, Total S.A., 2010). The total assets of company in 2009 were à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬127.8 billion and à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬8.447 billion of profit (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010). However, in current year Total S.A. is working very hardly. For example, in the third quarter of 2010 the companys earnings were $3.6 billion, in comparison with previous years third quarter the earnings were up 47% (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010). Moreover, in 2010 company is employeing over 96,000 people and operating in more than 130 countries (Wikipedia, Total S.A., 2010). For the third quarter of 2010, Totals net income was $3.6 billion, a 47% increase from the same period in 2009 (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010). ConocoPhilips. The ConocoPhilips also as Exxon Mobil was formed by merge of two companies such as Conoco Inc. and the Philips Petroleum Company on August 30, 2002. It works in all sectors of energy industry and also owns 20% share of Russian oil company LUKOIL (Wikinvest, ConocoPhilips, 2010). Company produces its products under the brands as Philips 66, 76 Unites States Conoco United States Jet Europe and Asia Pacific region ProJet Europe and Asia Pacific region (Wikinvest, ConocoPhilips, 2010) As of 2009, the company had of proved 8.36 billion barrels of oil equivalent reserves and its revenue was $246.182 billion. In the third quarter of 2010, the company increased its profit in contrast with previous years same period up to 8% and earned $3 billion (Wikinvest, ConocoPhilips, 2010) Competitive Advantage of Exxon Mobil Corporation Exxon Mobil Corporation has a number of advantages, which make it leader. Exxon Mobil operates in the major areas of petroleum such as North America, Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Exxon Mobil has the largest Exploration and Production portfolio, which makes easy to company to choose investments and political risks Exxon Mobil has technological advances which allow developing resources as tight gas, natural gas and heavy oil. (Wikinvest, Exxon, 2010) Competitive Advantage of Competitors Chevron Corporations progressive and various workforces are major advantages of company which allow surviving in marketplace.(Wikinvest, Chevron,2010) Royal Dutch Shell is a leading in industry because of its high performance and cleaner fuels. (Shell, Annual report, 2009) Providing pure ethanoic acid with low cost and approachable service for customers are the major advantages of British Petroleum Company. (BP, Annual report, 2010) Total S.A. operates with many western oil companies and has the largest reserves in Africa and the Middle East. In addition, Total S.A. is one of the few companies which have operations in Iran. (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010) Competitive advantage of ConocoPhilips lies on its heavier and more acidic crude oil and on providing clean product yields. (Conoco Philips, 2010) Effect of Political and Legal Environment Political Environment As Exxon Mobil operates in about 118 countries, there are many restrictions and advantages in law that can effect on company. Restrictions. Some of the countries, where Exxon Mobil Corporation has its stations, limit energy sources or can situate company in unavailable places from resources. Moreover, some countries restrict the import or export of products based on point of source. Hence, these situations make difficulties for company and this leads to declining of demand and increasing of product prices. For the solution, the company should be ready for every change in law or should avoid countries with regulations that have huge impact on business. (Exxon Mobil, Politic, 2010) Advantages. A number of advantages, which help company to work, are very little. For example, in some countries, there are low taxes for oil industry, which can lead to enormous earnings of Exxon Mobil. Also, governments can provide financial support to search alternative energy sources and nowadays, through sponsorship of The Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford University Exxon Mobil making research into hydrogen fuel cells and fuel-producing algae. (Exxon Mobil, Politic, 2010) Legal Environment Business competition. As Exxon Mobil is a United States company there are certain countries which prohibits the doing business for U.S. companies. As an example we can take the Islamic republic of Iran. Iran has large reserves of oil, but in this country there are no Exxon Mobil stations and this leads to competitive advantage for non-U.S. companies such as Total S.A. Total S.A. is an only company from six supermajors which has stations in Iran. (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010) Labor Market. Exxon Mobil makes every possible comfort to its employees. As it employs more than 80,000 people, all employees are governed by companys Standards of Business Conduct. According to Standards of Business Conduct, it is strictly prohibited to discriminate employees, suppliers or customer in any area of Exxon Mobil Corporation. Furthermore, all employees are provided with a competitive package by company, which is based on the legal regulations and culture of other countries. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2010) Consumer needs. Nowadays, all of suppliers are trying to produce most needed products in market they operate. In contrast, United States use much more gasoline than Europe or Asia. Hence, the producer in U.S. can produce and sell its products twice more than others. In addition, it is very difficult to satisfy consumer needs, because of high demand for premium gasoline. Nevertheless, Exxon Mobil is trying to do fuel better and employ expert chemical engineers, in order to satisfy all needs of consumers and increase demand for its products. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Environmental Legislation Environmental legislation is one of the most significant aspects of every oil company in the world. As oil companies use natural energy resources to produce their products, simultaneously they pollute environment. For example, fossil fuel is very efficient energy, but it is heavy polluter and also, there are number of sources which cause greenhouse gas. If company will try to make these damages less, it should increase costs for energy. So, to avoid such complex situations, every year company pays for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2009, Exxon Mobils payments for environmental liabilities were $504 million. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Effect of Socio-cultural environment Culture is an important part of nation or country. Every company which operates internationally should respect traditions of its partners and should avoid cultural problems which could face during its operations. One of the greatest affect of Exxon Mobil Corporation for United States nation was Exxon Valdez Oil spill in 1989. (Exxon Mobil, 2010) The Exxon Valdez tanker was built by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego, California. It was 301 meters long, 50 meters wide and 26 meters depths. The tankers could transfer up to 1.48 million barrels of oil with the speed 30 km/h and also it was located in Alaska. However, the Exxon Valdez faced huge oil spill on 24th of March, 1989 and this event was listed as a 54th largest oil spill in history. (Wikinvest, Valdez, 2010) The tragic accident damaged much historical and archeological significance, that were important to population and also for future generation of country. However, after cleaning up oil spill, the most of places were not renewable. There was impact on health of subpopulation of Alaska. It caused many disasters such as radiation syndrome, stochastic and genetic health effects. (George Pararas-Carayannis, 2007) Exxon Valdez had also influenced on social environment of people. As oil spill began at the beginning of fishing season, it caused impact on ecosystem of city. Major of earnings for population were coming from fishing. As a result, people were threatened by the spill and they experienced high level of depression during accident. The situation with Exxon Valdez tanker was big experience for Alaskan Natives. Exxon made great effort to clean up oil spill and it cost for company $4.3 billion (George Pararas-Carayannis, 2007). Despite efforts 250,000 barrels of oil were lost. In 1992, with help of U.S. Coast Guard the spill was completed (Exxon Mobil, Valdez, 2010). Nowadays, Exxon Mobil Corporation created exact strategies to prevent oil spills. For example, he has: Modern modified tankers Drug testing programs Trainings for pilots and captains In addition, if problems occur company has thousand of employees, fast working response centers at many locations around the world. The Corporation is operating very well and making great job to prevent any social or cultural accidents which could cause many damages and loses for company. (Exxon Mobil, Corporate Citizenship report, 2010) Effect of Ethical Environment Every company should follow its ethical standards with attitude to stakeholders. Doing unethical business with them can significantly effect on companys reputation. In order to be successful Exxon Mobil Corporation has its Code of Ethics, which help to work with stakeholders. Exxon Mobils stakeholders are: Government Community Shareholders Customers Employees Government. Exxon Mobil has exploration and production operations in 39 countries. Its unethical attitude to government can be shown with pursuing the countrys laws and regulations. As Exxon Mobil is one of the main polluters of environment, also its unethical approach to government can be environmental issues. However, Exxon Mobil has specific strategies to avoid unethical business. For instance, we can take the carbon capture and storage. In April 2009, company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Australian government and become member of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute. It means that company values the Australian governments worries about environment and wants to continue partnership with Australia. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Community. Unethical behavior against the community can be displayed in delivering irrelevant information about operations of company. Companies should avoid losing trust of community. As Exxon Mobil Corporation understands the role of community and every year it organizes sessions for communities, NGOs, government officials, in order to provide better understanding about companys operations and investments. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Shareholders. People who did some investment into company are shareholders. In my opinion, unethical decision alongside shareholders could lead to losing of money. Therefore, it would be better constantly informing investors about companys operations. In 2009, Exxon Mobil held 40 meetings with institutional investors and investment groups to discuss political contributions, companys risks and other issues which are connected with Exxon Mobil Corporation. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Customers. Millions of customers purchase fuels at Exxon Mobils stations everyday. Customer and ethics in oil industry are connected with customers demand for quality of fuels and also with its price. If company sells premium fuels which worth its price, customers needs will be satisfied and which can lead to good profit and high demand. In addition, to understand the future demand of customer, Exxon Mobil is creating a line of advanced oils and greases that will improve productivity and promote longer equipment life. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Employees. Bad work conditions, violation and low salary can be listed as an example of unethical behavior against employees. However, for company which violates to its employees this can lead to many problems such as job strikes, losing employees. Avoiding such problems, Exxon Mobil has its Standards of Business Conduct. According to standards, company should provide good condition for employees and also employees should be in ethical behavior into their activities and laws of corporation. Moreover, company annually requires employees to read Standards of Business Conduct and provides detailed trainings about ethics policy to all employees. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Effect of Technological Environment Being up-to-date with technology helps every business in many ways. As for oil and gas industry technological advancements lead to finding new sources which are located in very challenging environments such as Arctic regions, deepwater, heavy oil sands. Exxon Mobil Corporation has established fundamental research to enlarge advantaged technologies for all its businesses. Upstream technology. Exxon Mobil has the latest version of 3-D technology. To find remaining hydrocarbon reserves Exxon Mobil uses advances in 3-D seismic imaging, which provides more accurate representations of structure in complex areas. As a result, with the help of seismic mapping employees of company could see exact images of land structure and they would be able to reduce risk in exploration and production operations. In the future, Exxon Mobil is going to set new technology called Controlled Freeze Zone (CFZ) which has a prospective to permit economic development of gas resources challenged by carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2C). (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Downstream technology. As diesel demand is projected to increase from 2009 to 2030 worldwide, Exxon Mobil Corporation is working with new technologies which are aimed to improve the flexibility of refinery and which can to response to rapidly increase of product demand. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Chemical technology. The developing in chemical technology gives great opportunity for a competitive advantage of Exxon Mobil. The company thoroughly improves using advanced processes and catalyst technologies to give efficient energy and increased asset utilization. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Moreover, Exxon Mobil is a partner with Apple Company and on November of 2010, Exxon Mobil introduced Exxon Mobil Fuel Finder iPhone and iPod touch applications which helps to drivers worldwide to find locations of Exxon or Esso stations. In the future, it would be better for Exxon Mobil constantly update its technologies (Exxon Mobil, 2010). For example, it can replace its 3-D seismic imaging to 4-D, as it was said that Exxon Mobil uses 3-D seismic imaging in order to get images of land structure.

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The American Revolution: Revolutionary or Not? In determining whether or not the American Revolution was a true revolution, one must clearly define the term ?revolution?. Historians believe that for a war to be deemed a revolution it must encompass social, religious, economic, and intellectual dimensions as well as political change. I believe that the American Revolution conclusively exhibited all of these dimensions. Socially, America began with modern values unlike those of their British ancestry. The moral of equality was the foundation on which our nation began. When the tension grew between the colonies and England, the new ideology spread and began to widen to include almost all people. First, people began to realize that they did not necessarily live in a way which modeled their belief in equality. This, in itself shows the beginnings of a true revolution in that the people begin to see the need for change even within their own families, social groups, and lifestyles. After recognizing changes were needed, transformations began to occur in the colonies. For instance, a new position for women as upright citizens and leaders of the society emerged, and most states granted women equality of inheritance. Also, social distinctions such as status-seating at church and membership to private social clubs were attacked and diminished. People began referring to themselves as Mr. or Mrs., terms that illustrated the equality of all people, regardless of class or prestige. In addition, because most men were allowed a vote, education of the population became a priority. Nationalism spread as the people of America came to understand their common goals and needs. The concept of constituent power allowed for social changes also, as the people came to believe that the power rested in the will of the people, which caused them to gain self trust and esteem. People focused so much on equality and the rights of all people that in the south, several states passed laws which repressed the importation of slaves and made it easier to free slaves; in the north, slavery was outlawed in most states, and abolitionist groups arose. During the Revolution, the American people also formed new intellectual standpoints. The most respected thinkers of the time began to shift their focus to concentrate on creating political change. Men such as Ben Franklin, and other inventors theologists, and philosophers began to focus on concerns such as economic growth, constitutional revision, and westward expansion, rather than philosophy and theology.