The Spanish And Ottoman Empire

The Spanish And Ottoman Empire The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries marked key points in the development of both the Spanish and the Ottoman empires. The building of the Spanish and the Ottoman Empires are both similar and different in many ways. With the discovery of the Americas and the conquering of Constantinople, both empires were emerging as world powers. Furthermore, both empires developed into strong religious empires. One major difference was the reasons for conquest between the two vast empires. The Spanish sought to improve trade whereas the Ottoman Empire sought military control. There were also many similarities and differences in how the Spanish and the Ottoman Empires developed politically. The Spanish used the Encomienda System as a base for economic and political order in the Americas. Using this system, the men who served the crown, or the encomenderos, were awarded part of the labor and produce of the natives. The Spanish king ruled through the Council of the Indies, allowing the king to appoint viceroys. Furthermore, the Spanish king could oversee the treasury office and the royal court of appeals, or audiencia. In contrast, the Ottoman Empire developed a bureaucracy, and because of religious tolerance allowed Christians and Jews to participate in the government. The Spanish and the Ottoman Empires can be compared and contrasted economically. One difference between the two empires was taxing in the Ottoman Empire. Although the Ottoman Empire was tolerant of other religions, they imposed a special tax on non Muslims called the jizya. One similarity was the establishment of trade routes in both empires. The Spanish Empire established trade routes to the Americas and the Ottoman Empire, under the rule of Suleyman, expanded populations, roads, and trade routes. Suleyman led the Ottoman Empire to the Pax Ottomanica , resulting in the golden age that allowed the empire to flourish. Furthermore, the Ottoman Empire controlled half of the Danube River, allowing them to control trade. Socially, both the Spanish and the Ottoman Empires were very strict religious empires. The Spanish were strict Catholics (maybe tolerant). Similarly, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was a devout Muslim. The Spanish spread Christianity throughout the Americas, converting Natives similar to how the Ottomans converted boys in poor villages top ranking janissaries. However, the two empires did differ in that the Ottoman Empire was tolerant of other religions. The Ottoman Empire tolerated other religions because by allowing the Christians and Jews to practice their religions freely, the Ottoman Turks could defend themselves against revolts and rebellions. One major difference between the two empires was their reasons for expansion and conquest. The Spanish Empire expanded to further promote trade, whereas the Ottoman Empire expanded for military control. Under a system known as devshirme the Ottoman Sultan rounded up boys between the ages of 12 and 20 from villages and trained the best 1 0 percent to be civil servants or military men known as janissaries. However a similarity can be found in the decline of these two empires, where both empires ended because of the implications of the systems they sought to improve in expansion. The Spanish, in attempts to improve trade started to decline because of a weak financial base, unable to reap the benefits of trade. Similarly, when the expansion of the Ottoman Empire stopped, the empire lacked the influx of manpower to feed its system of maintaining an efficient population of civil servants and military men. A serial military defeat followed afterwards. During the periods of 1450 to 1800, the building of the Spanish and the Ottoman Empire developed in similar and different ways. Politically, the Spanish used an encomienda system whereas the Ottomans developed a bureaucratic government. Economically, the Spanish and the Ottoman developed trade routes, but the Spanish did not impose the jizya as the Ottomans did. Socially, both empires were strictly religious but the Ottomans were more tolerant of other religions. Despite their emergence as world powers, both empires declined as a result of the Spanishs inability to develop a strong financial base and the Ottomans failure to continue maintaining a constant manpower. Whereas the Spanish easily conquered the New World, the Ottomans constantly fought against different people from Africa, Asia, and Europe. Ottoman society was divided politically into wealth producers, soldiers, Muslims, and non-Muslims. Under a system known as devshirme the Sultan rounded up boys between the ages of 12 and 20 from villages and trained the best 10 percent to be civil servants or military men known as janissaries. After the relatively easier early conquest, Spanish legislation prohibited exploration and enslavement of Indians in its New Laws of 1542. In Mexico and Peru the decree was ignored and lead to a debate about how the colonies should be run, with some prominent ruling class arguing that Indians should be treated with protection and care, while others argued for a slavery system. The Ottoman Empire was less enlightened in ideology, but ruled with brute penalties for criminal acts, and efficient administration ad legal procedures. The Sultan considered himself supreme as compared against other monarchs. Indians died because of disease, dislocation, and the rigors of mine work following the European conquest. When the Spanish monarch ended the encomienda system the colonists increasingly sought grant of lands creating rural estates that produced cultural products. Gradually, the Americas evolved into an economic base that supports Spain. As for the Ottoman Empire, its decline was drastic. When the expansion stopped, the empire lacked the influx of manpower to feed its system of maintaining an efficient population of civil servants and military men. A serial military defeat followed afterwards.

Plot Summary of This Other Eden by Ben Elton :: essays research papers

The story begins with a view into what life is going to be like in the next century for the people of Earth. The first image described is of a rat eating away at a man's rotting leg, as he lies in mountains upon mountains of garbage. The man then decides that he is going to have to cut off his leg in order to save himself. This however, is not the world in which the characters of the book live, this is a world created by Nathan Hoddy, an English screen-writer whose job it is to market the end of the world.... The story in set sometime in the future, it does not say exactly when, but gives the impression that it is in the not-too-distant future. The world is much different and technically more advanced, with people (especially those in the USA) frequently undergoing plastic surgery to make themselves look as beautiful and young as they desire. People play with virtual reality helmets in their spare time, and aeroplanes leave the Earth's atmosphere, wait for the earth to rotate, and land where they desire. Britain is the dumping ground for the entire world's waste. There is no place on Earth where people can go outside for any extended period of time, without exposing themselves to millions of harmful rays. The story is set in many countries around the world, it changes between England, the USA, Ireland, and other various parts of Europe. Plastic Tolstoy is probably the main character in this book. Plastic is head of 80% of all the world's media and also runs the claustrosphere company. He has achieved this position of power through convincing the world that marketing is all that matters and that, beforehand, there were too many programmes breaking up the adverts. Plastic Tolstoy is the creator of â€Å"advertainment†, an extra long advert whose aim it is to capture people’s attention whilst also selling them things. Plastic is incredibly powerful and lets everyone he can know about it. He is rude to anyone and everyone, and is good at it. He talks to people constantly in a completely sarcastic and patronising way, probably as a way of letting them know that he is the one in the position of power. For example, when Nathan Hoddy is pitching his idea to him, he returns every idea told to him with a bitterly sarcastic and aggressive reply. "Do I think, perhaps? Plot Summary of This Other Eden by Ben Elton :: essays research papers The story begins with a view into what life is going to be like in the next century for the people of Earth. The first image described is of a rat eating away at a man's rotting leg, as he lies in mountains upon mountains of garbage. The man then decides that he is going to have to cut off his leg in order to save himself. This however, is not the world in which the characters of the book live, this is a world created by Nathan Hoddy, an English screen-writer whose job it is to market the end of the world.... The story in set sometime in the future, it does not say exactly when, but gives the impression that it is in the not-too-distant future. The world is much different and technically more advanced, with people (especially those in the USA) frequently undergoing plastic surgery to make themselves look as beautiful and young as they desire. People play with virtual reality helmets in their spare time, and aeroplanes leave the Earth's atmosphere, wait for the earth to rotate, and land where they desire. Britain is the dumping ground for the entire world's waste. There is no place on Earth where people can go outside for any extended period of time, without exposing themselves to millions of harmful rays. The story is set in many countries around the world, it changes between England, the USA, Ireland, and other various parts of Europe. Plastic Tolstoy is probably the main character in this book. Plastic is head of 80% of all the world's media and also runs the claustrosphere company. He has achieved this position of power through convincing the world that marketing is all that matters and that, beforehand, there were too many programmes breaking up the adverts. Plastic Tolstoy is the creator of â€Å"advertainment†, an extra long advert whose aim it is to capture people’s attention whilst also selling them things. Plastic is incredibly powerful and lets everyone he can know about it. He is rude to anyone and everyone, and is good at it. He talks to people constantly in a completely sarcastic and patronising way, probably as a way of letting them know that he is the one in the position of power. For example, when Nathan Hoddy is pitching his idea to him, he returns every idea told to him with a bitterly sarcastic and aggressive reply. "Do I think, perhaps?

Marketing Strategy Essay

While there’s merit in evaluating the strategy from a qualitative standpoint (its completeness, internal consistency, rationale, and relevance), the best quantitative evidence of how well a company’s strategy is working comes from its result. The stronger a company’s current overall performance, the less likely the need for radical changes in strategy. The weaker a company’s financial performance and market standing, the more its current strategy must be questioned. Organizations succeed in a competitive marketplace over the long run because they can do certain things their customers value better than their competitors e. offering better quality products with cheaper prices. First we must understand what is the current strategy the company is implementing now; 1. A low-cost leader strategy:  striving to be the overall low-cost provider of a product or service that appeals to a broad range of customers ie;focus on being the lowest cost provider e. g Lidyl , and tal- Lira. 2. A broad differentiation strategy:  seeking to differentiate the company’s product offerings from rivals’ in ways that will appeal to a broad range of buyers i. they want to differentiate from their rivals ie by offering something different eg, Apple and Rolex as a prestige brand, Dr. Pepper with a different taste, Wal-Mart with value and more for your money. 3. A best-cost provider strategy:  giving customers more value for the money by emphasizing both low cost and upscale difference, the goal being to keep costs and prices lower than those of other providers of comparable quality and features (a couple of examples are the Honda and Toyota car companies with customer satisfaction ratings that rival those of much more expensive cars). . A focused, or market-niche, strategy based on lower cost:  concentrating on a narrow buyer segment and outcompeting rivals on the basis of lower cost (The Gap is a good example). A focused, or market-niche, strategy based on differentiation:  offering niche members a product or service customized to their tastes and requirements [examples are Rolls-Royce (sells limited number of high-end, custom-built cars) and men’s big and tall shops (sell mainstream styles to a limited market with specific requirements) i. they aim to focus on a particular target market eg constructions at madliena targeting high class people, or do they try to be the best cost provider ie providing value for money products. Approaches to assessing how well the present strategy is working Qualitative assessement – Is the strategy well conceived, is it well thought ie The strategy should be consistent with the vision and mission of the company, it should be in line with the current market trends. Quantitative assessement – It is the measure of return on total investment, Is the strategy being implemented resulting in higher profits for the company? This means that a good strategy should result in an above industry performance. Key Indicators of How Well the Strategy is Working See the trend in sales/market share Acquiring/retaining new customers Detecting how well is your image and reputation and overall financial strenghth Question 2. What Are the Company’s Resource Strength and Weaknesses and Its External Opportunities and Threats? SWOT analysis provides a good overview of whether the company’s overall situation is fundamentally healthy or unhealthy. A first-rate SWOT analysis provides the basis for crafting a strategy that capitalizes on the company’s resources, aims squarely at capturing the company’s best opportunities, and defends against the threats to its wll-being. A resource strengths is something a company is good at doing or an attribute that enhances its competitiveness in the marketplace. Resource strengths can take any of these forms: a skill-an area of specialized expertise, or a competitively important capability, valuable physical assets, valuable human assets and intellectual capital, valuable organizational assets, valuable intangible assets, an achievement or attribute that puts the company in a position of market advantage. A competence(abilta li jaghmlu xi haga ahjar minn kumpaniji ohra) is an activity that a company has learned to perform well. It is nearly always the product of experience, representing an accumulation of learning and the buildup of proficiency in performing an internal activity. A core competence is a competitively important activity that a company performs better than other internal activities. A distinctive competence is a competitively important activity that a company perfoms better than its rivals – it thus represents a competitively superior resource strength. The competitive power of a resource strength is measured by these four tests: is the resource really competitively valuable? Is the resource strength rare? Is the resource strength hard to copy? Can the resource strength be trumped by substitute resource strengths and competitive capabilities? Competitively valuable resource strengths and competencies call for the use of a resource based strategy. Core concept of Resource-based strategy is that it uses a company’s valuable resources strengths and competitive capabilities to deliver value to customers in ways rivals find it difficult to match, advised to pass on a particular industry opportunity unless the company has or can acquire the resources to capture it. It is management’s job to identify the threats to the company’s prospects and to evaluate what strategic actions can be taken to neutralize or lessen their impact. SWOT analysis are drawing conslusions from the SWOT listings about the company’s overall situation, and translating these conslusions into strategic actions to better match the company’s strategy to its resource strengths and market opportunities, to correct the important weaknesses, and to defend against external threats. The final piece of SWOT analysis is to translate the diagnosis of the company’s situation into actions for improving the company’s strategy and business prospects. What are the company’s resource strengths and weaknesses, and its external opportunities and threats? A SWOT analysis provides an overview of a firm’s situation and is an essential component of crafting a strategy tightly matched to the company’s situation. The two most important parts of SWOT analysis are (1) drawing conclusions about what story the compilation of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats tells about the company’s overall situation, and (2) acting on those conclusions to better match the company’s strategy, to its resource strengths and market opportunities, to correct the important weaknesses, and to defend against external threats. A company’s resource strengths, competencies, and competitive capabilities are strategically relevant because they are the most logical and appealing building blocks for strategy; resource weaknesses are important because they may represent vulnerabilities that need correction. External opportunities and threats come into play because a good strategy necessarily aims at capturing a company’s most attractive opportunities and at defending against threats to its well-being. A strength is something a firm does well that enhances its competitiveness eg alliancing. Company Competencies and Capabilities Competencies are assumed to be the company’s valuable resources Competency – A competency is anything a business does well. A business may have numerous competencies. For example a manufacturing company might be extremely successful in keeping its number of defects per thousand units produced extremely low. The Companies Competencies and Capabilities stem from skills, expertise, and experience (esperjenza li kibbret maz-zmien usually representing an accumulation of learning over time and gradual buildup of real proficiency in performing an activity. i. e il-kumpetenza ta kumpanija tigi through the buildup of performing the activity ghax taghmel l-istess attivita kontinwament u l-esperjenzi li jkollha matul l-operations taghha) Core Competency – A core competency is a competency of the business that is essential to its overall performance and success. If this company held itself out to the market as a reliable manufacturer of quality products, this could easily be a core competency, because the ability to consistently provide quality products is a key to its business model. (Core competence tfisser l kompetenza ta xi kumpanija li hija centrali ghall-kumpanija, fejn permezz ta din ilkompetenza se tikkumbatti tajjeb lil competitors l ohra u se tiddistingwixxi ruhha minn ma kumpaniji ohrajn. Importanti li din il kompetenza tkun giet through l-esperjenza tal haddiema eg. Jien immur ghand Toni & Guy ghax jogghobni il-way kif jaqta’ x-xaghar, immure ghand dak ir-restaurant ghax jaghmel ricetti tajbin tal-hut, expertise in integrating multiple technologies to create new products. ) Distinctive Competency eg Toyota (low cost high quality manufacturing of motor vehicles and Starbucks – innovative coffee drinks and store ambience A distinctive competency is any competency that distinguishes a company from its competitors. A distinctive competency is typically a core competency that truly distinguishes a company from the rest of the competition. For example, one of Google’s distinctive competencies is its name recognition and status as the most famous search engine. This competency is hard for competitors to imitate and sets Google apart from the rest of the market (Distinctive competence of a firm refers to a set of activities or capabilities that a company is able to perform better than its competitors and which gives it an advantage over them. Distinctive competence can lie in different area such as technology, marketing. They provide sustainable competitive advantage because these are hard to copy. ) Identifying Resource Weaknesses and Competitve Deficiencies After identifying the Company’s strengths we will now identify the company’s weaknesses. * A weakness is something a firm lacks, does poorly, or a condition placing it at a disadvantage. Resource weaknesses relate to Inferior skills, expertise. * Missing capabilities in key areas Identifying a Company’s Market Opportunities. Opportunities most relevant to a company are those offering enticing prospects which reflect financial growth, is a good resource to outcompete your rivals, good match with its financial and organizational resource capabilities jigifiri li l-opportunitajiet ikunu addatati ghall-kumpanija e,g taghraf li tista tidhol ghall xi sistema gdida eg xetra trading system fejn tista ggib new listings. Identofying External Threats Some possibilities are that other competitors will * Emerg cheaper/better technologies * Introduce better products * Entry of lower-cost foreign competitors * Onerous regulations Rise in interest rates * Unfavorable demographic shifts changes fit-tastes tan nies * Adverse shifts in foreign exchange rates * Political turmoil and/or burdensome government policies Question 3 : Are the Company’s Prices and Costs Competitive The intent of a company is to do things that ultimately create value for buyers. Assessing whether a firm’s costs are competitive with th ose of rivals is a crucial part of company situation analysis. One can assess whether a firm’s costs are competitive through 2 Key analytical tools: * Value chain analysis * Benchmarking Value Chain Analysis describes the activities that take place in a business and relates them to an analysis of the competitive strength of the business. * The value chain (A value chain is a chain of activities that a firm operating in a specific industry performs in order to deliver something valuable (product or service), Value Chain Analysis is one way of identifying which activities are best undertaken by a business and which are best provided by others (â€Å"out sourced†). It contains two types of activities: * Primary activities – those that are directly concerned with creating and elivering a product.

Voting Franchise A Major Source of Political Influence essays

Voting Franchise A Major Source of Political Influence essays The voting franchise, how many people participate in the voting process, is known to be an important factor in shaping government policies. A recent study examined state government spending and state and local spending for forty-six states from 1950 until 1988 (Husted and Kenny, 1997). It found that the elimination of poll taxes and literacy tests led to higher turnout, particularly among the poor, and a poorer pivotal voter. As a result, a fall in the income of voters relative to state income, and the ouster of Republicans from state government led to a sharp rise in welfare spending but no change in other spending. Today, legislative redistricting is one of the most hotly debated areas that impact the voter franchise. The U.S. Supreme Court has stated, "Unconstitutional discrimination occurs ... when the electoral system is arranged in a manner that will consistently degrade a voter's or a group of voters' influence on the political process as a whole" (Statement on the voter redistricting process). Many critics feel that voting districts are redrawn for partisan considerations resulting in political gerrymandering that interferes with the right to vote, and is used by the legislature to dilute votes and influence the outcome of the elections, thereby impairing Further, activists charge that there are many citizens who are prevented, either by law or practice, from registering or voting. The laundry list of examples supporting this belief include laws that link voter eligibility to criminal conviction and citizenship, needlessly early voter registration deadlines, difficult voter registration processes, inaccessible and out-of-the-way polling places, and voting machines that require English literacy, visual acuity and manual dexterity (Blain, 2004). Clearly, the voter franchise is a major source of political influence ...

Movies Essays - Aftermath Of War, Wars Of Independence, Free Essays

Movies Essays - Aftermath Of War, Wars Of Independence, Free Essays Movies Each war had a serious impact on the individuals surrounding it, whether it be the soldiers, Indians, slaves, women, children, and even the entire feeling of the countryside. The commonality in each of the three films, "Last of the Mohicans," Mary Silliman's War," and "Glory," was war, but each centered on a different segment of the population and the different wars of the time period. The French and Indian War was depicted in the "Last of the Mohicans," showing the trials the settlers of the countryside faced while the French fought for control of the union against the British in the mid-18th Century. Focusing on the strengths of women, "Mary Silliman's War" encompasses the revolutionary war as the Americans try to break free from Britain. Finally, the inner fight between the Union is depicted in "Glory," which gives startling footage on the black man's struggles in the fight for emancipation. Through studies, in course work, various books including Boorstin, Brinkley, Gross, and others, and by watching the films, a better understanding of the trials of freedom that American individuals undertook in the 17th and on into the19th Century was received. A connection of the feelings, emotions, and trials of the history of all Americans is felt and interpreted in the following paragraphs. As the first white settlers came to what is to be America in the early 17th Century, the struggle for power was inevitable. Looking through time and history, power has always been a key factor in the lives of the people of the nation, and it still is today. The nine years of the French and Indian War (1754), which was in part depicted in the "Last of the Mohicans," showed how two countries were fighting over control of the people and land of the colonies. We can see that the fighting had to do with power and control of other people and property. Feelings for those not in the war, innocent people, were overlooked and pushed to the side. In addition, the first American settlers, the Indians, were treated as pawns in a bigger game only to take what was theirs to begin with. Both the French and the British tried to win the Indians over, only to later push them further into the western countryside, until there would latter simply be no room for them. "Mary Silliman's War," focusing on the revolutionary time period in the late 18th Century, included the powerful struggle of the British to control the Americans. Instead of the struggle for the power of the land, at this point the British had the land and now focused on controlling the freedoms of the people of the nation. When the British felt as if they were loosing control, they grasped to incorporate a tighter system of government into the lives of Americans. The rejection of this control lead to the many horrifying years of war. The efforts of Americans to create a better nation did not end here. The northern and southern parts of the nation were not yet unified, even after fighting against the British in the revolutionary war. In fact, it was difficult to combine the entire nation and not stay divided in tiny communities as in the past. These factors, along with many other differences of opinion when dealing with the colored people of the nation, lead to an even greater power struggle than ever before. The southern Confederacy wanted the power to control its own nation, separate from that of the northern Federacy. The people and leaders in the south did not want to give up control of "their" slaves. The white man felt power by controlling what he thought was a lesser person, in this case the blacks. Seen again and again in the history of Americans, the power to control other people, for example, the Indians, slaves, and women, were victims in the struggle of the white man to feel superior to others. Whenever a problem would arise where power was threatene! d the country would then became engaged in battle. The movies were unique in their own element, because they focused on a group of individuals and carried out their story of becoming part of the nation. "The

Sociology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sociology - Research Paper Example This paper analyses the value of religion in our social life. Even though, the creator has not created any religions in the world, he has given the ability to human kind in segregating good and evil. This ability varies with individuals and hence they started to interpret things differently which resulted in the formation of different beliefs and finally different religions in the world. One of the common elements of all the religions is that all of them work for the conservation of good values or ethical principles. No religion, either believe or advocate immoral things. Thus, for sustaining good values in the society all religions play an important role. All the religions have some kind of worship place; for Christians, it is church, for Muslims, Mosques are used for worshipping god, Hindus uses temples while the Jews use Synagogues as their worship places. One of the common elements of these places is that all these entities are places where lot of people assemble for the worship activities. It is a place where all the people assemble for the same objective; worshipping. Immense socializing is taking place in these types of places which strengthen the social bonding between the people. â€Å"Socialization is the process by which children and adults learn from others. We begin learning from others during the early days of life; and most people continue their social learning all through life†(What is the socialization process?) It provides the individual with the skills and habits necessary for leading a successful social life. A society functions through shared norms, attitudes, values, motives, social roles, symbols and languages. Family, school, friendship, religion or worship places etc are some of the major socializing agents in the society. I belong to a Christian, community and I can safely say that my religion has played an important role in shaping my personality and views related to morality

What do you think are some of the most important events of the 20th Assignment

What do you think are some of the most important events of the 20th century that have changed the shape of human development, and why - Assignment Example This later culminated to the development of Microsoft in the year 1996. Computer invention has played significant roles in the development of humans in a number of ways. Computers have facilitated information discovery and enhanced communication. The First World War took place between 1914 and 1918 while the Second World War took place between 1939 and 1945. These two wars presented the biggest military conflicts in the history of humans. Additionally, great military alliances involving different groups of countries were formed during this time. The First World War pitied the allied powers against the central powers. Apparently, the Allied powers include France, Britain, Japan and Russia while the central powers were Germany, turkey, Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary. Conversely, the Second World War was the most heinous given the genocide against the people of Jewish orientation orchestrated by the Nazis. These two wars provided perfect opportunities for humanity to invent and display their weapons. The Second World War will be specifically be remembered because of the atomic bomb Hiroshima atomic bomb dropped in Japan by the United States (United Nations / Development Pro, 1996, p. 31). Although there have been several inventions before, the invention of the internet has had the most significant revolutions in communication and information like never before. Apparently, the internet has provided widespread information infrastructure based on its initial prototype. Its contribution to human development transcends through all the sectors of the society. The internet provides communication throughout the society by making use of online computer tools for the electronic commerce accomplishment. It also contributes to acquisition of information and several other operations within the community (United Nations / Development Pro, 1996, p. 46). The atomic bomb was the product of the invention of Otto Frisch and Professor Rudolph Peierls from the University