Shoulder Muscle Acromioclavicular Joint Injury Health And Social Care Essay

Acromioclavicular joint hurt are common among immature active persons. Stability of this shoulder complex compose of musculus ( deltoid and cowl muscle ) , ligament ( acromioclavicular and coracoclavicular ) and acromioclavicular articulation capsule. Clinical and radiographic scrutinies are important to name this hurt. Non operative intervention is indicated for type I and II hurt. Surgical intervention is indicated for type IV, V and VI hurt. Treatment for type III hurt are still controversy. Method of intervention autumn into 3 classs: arrested development of acromioclavicular articulation, arrested development of coracoclavicular articulation and ligament Reconstruction. Tendencies of intervention goes to minimal invasive anatomic acromioclavicular articulation Reconstruction. Cardinal words: acromioclavicular, coracoclavicular Acromioclavicular ( AC ) joint hurt represents 40-50 % of shoulder injury.1 Some facets of intervention options between conservative and surgery are still controversy2. Categorization by Tossy3 and Allman4 in 1960 was modify by Rockwood5 in 1989. Recently, minimum invasive surgical intervention tends to acquire more popularity.Anatomy and biomechanicsThe AC articulation is a diathrodial articulation located between distal terminal of collarbone and median boundary line of acromial process procedure of the scapular. Inclination of joint possibly about perpendicular or may be inclined from downward medially with collarbone overruling acromial process by the angle of 50 grades. Articular surface of collarbone overrides the articular surface of acromial process about 50 % of the clip. Fibrocartilagenous intra-articular disc are divide in 2 types: complete and partial ( meniscoid ) . Meniscus become degenerated and reached non-functional province at 4th decennary. Nerve supply to the AC a rticulation is from alar, suprascapular and sidelong thoracic nervousnesss. The dynamic stabilizers to the AC joint compose of anterior part of deltoid musculus which provide suspensory support and the upper part of trapezius musculus. In the presence of break of the AC and CC ligament, the importance of these musculus increased. AC articulation is surrounded by a thin capsule and reinforced by superior, inferior, anterior and posterior AC ligaments. These construction preponderantly control horizontal gesture of the collarbone. Posterosuperior capsule is the construction to forestall posterior interlingual rendition of the clavicle6. Distal collarbone resection up to 1 centimeter may rendered the stableness of the AC articulation by addition buttocks interlingual rendition up to 32 % . The coracoclavicular ( CC ) ligament is a really strong heavy ligament which run from the outer inferior surface of the collarbone to the base of the coracoid procedure. The CC ligament has two constituents: cone and trapezoid ligaments. Average distance between the collarbone and the coracoid procedure is 1.3 centimeter ( CC interspace ) and the mean distance from the sidelong terminal of the collarbone to the most sidelong extent to trapezoid ligament was 1.53 centimeter. Clavicle rotate about 40-50 grade through longitudinal axis during full abduction but existent gesture of the collarbone is 5-8 degree relation to the acromial process because of the downward rotary motion of the shoulder blade ( synchronal scapuloclavicular rotary motion ) . The CC ligament is responsible in ordering scapulothoracic gesture. The primary map of the CC ligament is the premier suspensory ligament of the upper appendage.Mechanism of hurtAn acute hurt to the AC articulation can be devided in two class: direct and indirect mechanism. Direct hurt is produced by patient falling onto the point of the shoulder with the arm at the side in adducted place. This mechanism is likely the most common cause of AC joint hurt. The force thrust the acromial process downward and medially. If no break occurs, the force foremost sprained the AC ligament, so AC tear, CC tear and eventually rupture the deltoid and trapezius musculus. Indirect force, which are far less common, generated by a autumn on outstretch arm with superior directed force. The force are transmitted to the AC articulation instead than CC ligament.CategorizationAC articulation are classified harmonizing to the extent of harm by the grade of force. Injury to the AC articulation are graded harmonizing to the sum of hurt to the AC and CC ligament. Allman4 and Tossy and colleague3 differentiate AC disruption into 3 types depending on the intregity of the AC and CC ligaments. Rockwood5 added type IV, V and VI AC disruption to the original categorization strategy. Type I injury: Sprain of the acromioclavicular ligament Integral acromioclavicular articulation, coracoclavicular ligament, deltoid and cowl muscle No seeable malformation, no stamp over CC interspace Minimal puffiness and stamp over AC articulation Type II hurt: Disrupt acromioclavicular ligament ( widening both AC and CC interspace ) Sprain of the coracoclavicular ligament Integral deltoid and cowl muscle Type III hurt: Disrupt both acromioclavicular and Coracoclavicular ligament Deltoid and trapezius musculus normally detached Dislocate AC articulation and increase CC distance ( 25-100 % of normal shoulder ) Type III discrepancies: Fracture coracoids procedure Physeal hurt Pseudodislocation ( integral periosteal arm ) Type Four: Disrupt both acromioclavicular and Coracoclavicular ligament Deltoid and trapezius musculus normally detached Clavicle is displaced posteiorly into or through trapezius musculus CC interspace may look integral Type Volt: Disrupt both acromioclavicular and Coracoclavicular ligament Deltoid and trapezius musculus normally detached AC joint grossly dislocated superiorly Markly addition CC distance ( 100-300 % of normal shoulder ) Type Six: Disrupt both acromioclavicular and Coracoclavicular ligament Deltoid and trapezius musculus normally detached Acromion is displaced inferior to acromial process or coracoid procedure As a consequence of hyperabduction and external rotary motionDiagnosisDuring physical scrutiny, patient should be in a standing or sitting place without limb support to the injured arm. The weight of the arm will do the malformation more evident. Findingss on physical scrutiny are related to the badness of the hurt. Local puffiness, malformation, bruise, ecchymosis possibly seen. Trouble with arm gesture every bit good as localized tenderness over the AC articulation and CC interspace can be noted. Pain is frequently accentuated by abduction and cross organic structure adduction. Oaa‚Â ¬a„?Brien active compaction trial may be positive. In the subacute stage, perpendicular and horizontal stableness of the AC articulation should be tested. By stabilising the collarbone and placing and upward force under the ipsilateral cubitus. Once the AC articulation is reduced, hold on the collarbone with index and pollex and effort to interpret the collarbone anteriorly and posteriorly to entree horizontal stableness. Sternoclavicular articulation should ever exam for associated anterior disruption. Besides the neurological position of the affected appendage should be evaluated to govern out a brachial rete hurt.Radiographic ratingStandard radiogram are indispensable to name and sort AC joint hurt. Routine radiogram for AC joint requires one tierce to one half the x-ray incursion needed for everyday glenohumeral radiogram. Everyday radiogram include true anterioroposterior and alar sidelong position. Additionally Zanca positions ( 10o-15o cephalic joust ) is utile when little break or loose organic structure is suspected on the everyday position. Comparative radiogram of the uninjured might be needed to the normal CC distance and the comparative normal place of the normal collarbone. Stress position is utile to prove the unity of the CC ligament and should be performed when AC disruption is suspected ( differentiate between type II and type III hurts ) . Coracoid break should ever be suspected when face with AC disruption with the presence of normal CC distance. Axillary position can show break coracoid. If fracture coracoid is suspected on the alar position, Stryker notch position will about ever show this pathology.TreatmentNonsurgicalMost writers suggested that nonsurgical intervention are indicated in type I and type II hurts. Many methods of decrease and immobilisation such as sling, plaster dramatis personae, adhesive tape strapping, brace, harnesses and grip techniques are proposed. Urist 7 reviewd the literature and summarized more than 35 signifiers of non-operative direction. A period of immobilisation is needed to relieve the emphasis to both AC and CC ligament. Type I injury can be treated utilizing simple catapulting 7-10 yearss or until hurting subsided. Type II require longer clip for immobilisation ( normally 10-14 yearss ) . Once hurting has subsided, gradual rehabilitation plan is started get downing with inactive o r active aided scope of gesture exercising. After full painless ROM is achieved, isometric beef uping plan is begun. Contact athletics should be avoid for 2-3 months to avoid farther hurt to the shoulder. The most controversial issue is the intervention of type III hurt. Several surveies have demonstrated long term disablement and hurting with non-operative intervention. Bannister et al2 conducted a randomized, prospective, controlled test comparing surgical intervention of AC joint hurt type III and V utilizing CC prison guards versus catapulting immobilisation ( 2 hebdomads ) . Following with the same rehabilitation plan. Patient with AC supplanting less than 2 centimeter had better consequence with nonsurgical intervention. In terrible AC joint hurt ( AC displacement more than 2 centimeter ) , 20 % had good consequence with non-operative intervention while 70 % in the surgical group had good to first-class consequence. In contrast, meta-analysis by Phillips8 demonstrated that consequence of operative and non-operative groups of type III hurt are similar in the facet of patient return to work, strength and scope of gesture but found higher complication rate in the operative group. The cardinal success of non-operative intervention is appropriate rehabilitation plan. The active rehabilitation plan focal point on deriving strength of shoulder girdle musculus including deltoid, cowl muscle, sternocleido mastoideus, periscapular stabilizer and rotator turnup musculus. After hurt, the shoulder is immobilized with arm sling for 2 hebdomads. Cold compaction can be apply to cut down hurting and puffiness. Active and inactive scope of gesture exercising is initiate after hurting resolved. In this stage frontward flexure should non transcend 90 degree and raising weight more than 5 pounds. should be prohibited. At 8 hebdomads, full active gesture and initial resistive exercising should be started. Patient can return to work and full athletics activity at 12 hebdomads.Surgical interventionRelative indicant for surgery in acute AC joint hurt is immature grownup with high demand athletics or labour worker. In chronic type III AC joint hurt, hurting and instability may bespeak surgical intercession. Acute type IV, V and VI disruption wholly required surgical intercession. Still there is no consensus which technique is the best. Surgical intercession are categorized into 3 groups: arrested development of the AC articulation, arrested development between coracoids procedure and the collarbone and ligament Reconstruction and dynamic musculus transportation. Today most surgeon usage combinations of processs to accomplish maximum stableness of the shoulder articulation in order to cut down hurting and addition maximal strength Arrested development of the AC articulation Historically, the first instrument used to stabilise the AC articulation is smooth or threaded pin. Lizaur11 advocated the usage of 1.8 mm k-wire to stabilise the joint and emphasized on the fix of deltoid and trapezius musculus. Several surveies reported good long term consequence utilizing non-threaded K-wire across the AC joint.12 Sage and Salvatore13 recommended fix of the AC ligament to heighten the stableness of the AC articulation. This technique are fring popularity because of its major ruinous complications of pin migration which is reported to migrate to the great vas, spinal canal, lung and bosom. Hook home base is an alternate technique of arrested development of the AC articulation. After decrease the sidelong terminal of the home base is inserted deep to the acromial process and pry down the collarbone its anatomic place. Bicortical prison guard is used to procure the home base to the collarbone. Plate remotion is recommended at 8 hebdomads. Recent work from Salem and Schmelz study good clinical result with this technique.16 Ladermann et. Al. reported good intermediate consequence of AC and CC cerclage Reconstruction with nonabsrobable sutures.17 Arrested development between coracoid and collarbone Assorted methods of CC stabilisation have been reported including prison guards, sutura, man-made or metallic loop.17 Bosworth in 1941 advocated slowdown screw arrested development between coracoid and collarbone without fix AC and CC ligament. Esenyel et.al.18 modified original Bosworth technique by combine prison guard arrested development with fix the CC ligament. In chronic hurt, several sawboness combine screw arrested development with ligament Reconstruction and study satisfactory consequences. Recent technique utilizing metallic button with heavy non-absorbable sutura ( Tightrope and Graftrope: Arthrex, Endobutton: Simth & A ; Nephew ) go throughing through the coracoids and secure to the superior boundary line of the collarbone with another button.21-28 Biomechanical survey comparing Tightrope versus Mesh tape demonstrated that Tightrope have superior mechanical belongings in commanding horizontal and perpendicular stability.25 Walz et.al.26 demonstrated that Tightrope is a stable and functional Reconstruction with equal and even higher force than native ligament. This technique can be used in concurrence with ligament Reconstruction. Man-made cringle placed between coracoid and the collarbone addition more popularity today. This technique may be usage in combination with CC ligament Reconstruction. Main advantage of this technique is it does non necessitate remotion of the implant such as home base or prison guard. However, instances of sterile reaction and collarbone osteolysis have been reported. Ligament Reconstruction This technique of utilizing CA ligament to restore AC joint stableness origionally was described by Weaver and Dunn.32 The CA ligament is detached from deep surface of acromial process with or without bone and transferred to the distal collarbone. This concept may be augmented with cringle of sutura, man-made stuff allow protection of the healing ligament besides combine with other ligament reconstruction.33-36 Major alteration of this technique is to eviscerate distal collarbone to avoid late devolution of the AC articulation which might caused hurting. Recently, all-arthroscopic technique was proposed for CA ligament transportation. Semitendinosus transplant is now normally used to retrace the CC ligament by doing a cringle under the coracoid or through the coracoids tunnel and hole with intervention screw.38-40 Modifications of this technique varied from choice of transplant, method of arrested development, transplant route..Anatomical biomechanic survey by Kristen43 demonstrated that anatomic semitendinosus homograft Reconstruction give superior biomechanical belongings than other Reconstruction mode ( Graftrope, nonanatomic homograft, modify Weaver- Dunn technique, anatomic sutura ) . Several biomechanical surveies demonstrated important superior result of semitendinosus sinew transplant comparing to the modify Weaver-Dunn process. Cleverger et.al. demonstrated no important difference in biomechanical strength of adjuncted CA ligament transportation in patient undergo AC joint Reconstruction with hamstring graft.36 Distal collarbone resection Deletion of the distal terminal of the collarbone is referred to as the Mumford or Gurd.10 This operation is suited for chronic diagnostic AC joint hurt. Amount of resection are vary from 1-2.5 centimeter. This process must be performed in patient which have integral CC ligament or execute combine with CC ligament Reconstruction. When this process are performed in patient with horizontal and perpendicular instability the consequence are compromised.ComplicationsComplications can happen both surgical and nonsurgical intervention of AC joint hurt. The most common complications associated with nonsurgical intervention are relentless instability and development of late arthrosis of the AC articulation. Complications following surgical intervention are relate to which technique chosen. Hardware failure and migration to major vas and lung have been described. Foreign organic structure reaction and infection occurred after usage of man-made stuff. Fracture of the coracoid procedure and collarbone are related to the process which have been choosen. Brachial rete and alar arteria can be endangered if go throughing the transplant or man-made stuff medial to the coracoids. Recurrent instability have been report in every techniques.RehabilitationAfter CC arrested development with prison guard or sutura, the shoulder should be immobilized in an arm sling for 2 hebdomads. After 2 hebdomads, active and inactive scope of gesture exercising is initiated. Forward flexure more than 90 grades should be avoided. After taking prison guard ( 2-3months ) full active and inactive gesture is started and limited light opposition exercising for 8 hebdomads. After achieved full gesture and strength, patien t can return to usual activities before hurt. After AC joint Reconstruction with sinew transplant ( autoplasty or homograft ) , place the patient in an arm sling for 2 hebdomads. Pendulum exercising at 2 hebdomads and light activity of day-to-day life at 4 hebdomads. Active and inactive scope of gesture exercising is started at 8 hebdomads. Light opposition can be initiated at 3 months. Once full gesture and strength achieved, normal labour work is permitted.

Globalization or Cultural Imperialism Essay

The concept of cultural imperialism is not a new one. The idea of winning the hearts and minds of another society via exporting values and cultural tendencies dates back to at least the Roman Empire (Rothkop 1). The basic concept of cultural imperialism is that a stronger, usually larger and with more military might, has forced its culture on another nation, usually a smaller and less politically powerful nation. Cultural imperialism can be either deliberate, as a conscious effort of the more powerful society, or as an unintended consequence of the larger society’s actions. Generally, those who use the term cultural imperialism use it as insult against the larger nation. The claim is that cultural imperialism, sometimes also referred to globalization, is detrimental to smaller cultures around the world, including the destruction of the indigenous cultures, languages, foods and art forms. This paper will examine the claim that this is a detrimental effect and determine if globalization is a negative force on the world or an acceptable part of an internationally aware world. â€Å"Cultural imperialism involves much more than simple consumer goods; it involves the dissemination of ostensibly American principles, such as freedom and democracy. Though this process might sound appealing on the surface, it masks a frightening truth: many cultures around the world are gradually disappearing due to the overwhelming influence of corporate and cultural America. The motivations behind American cultural imperialism parallel the justifications for U. S. imperialism throughout history: the desire for access to foreign markets and the belief in the superiority of American culture. † (Galeota 1) The first discussion of cultural imperialism in the mainstream discussion of political science began in the 1970s in relation to Latin America (Tomlinson 36). â€Å"The definitions of cultural imperialism appear to range along a continuum. On the one side, there are quite narrow and polemic definitions of cultural imperialism as ‘the domination of other cultures by products of the U. S. culture industry. ’ On the other hand, there are more formal and abstract definitions like Shiller’s which states that cultural imperialism is ‘the sum of the processes by which a culture is brought into the modern world system†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hamm 3). But then what does it actually mean? The short version is that the United States’ exports of everything from movies to McDonald’s are destroying native cultures around the world. The longer argument is that cultural imperialism is part of the growing process, a natural aspect of development. Determining which of these theories is the actual reality of the process is a sociological debate that has been raged for nearly forty years. The first question is whether the exportation of American culture is responsible for the destruction of native cultures around the world. To determine this, we must first look at the track record of history and use it as a measuring stick. When the term cultural imperialism began to take root in the 1970s it was universally applied to mean the impact, primarily by American media, on the remainder of the world. While it was initially applied primarily to Latin America and other regions where the United States displayed a colonial type relationship with the emerging nations, it would later be applied to the American media domination worldwide and credited/blamed for everything from the downfall of Soviet communism to the rise of English as the primary language of business worldwide. (Dunch 302). But this argument needs to be placed in a historical context. â€Å"The Soviet Union fell in part because a closed society cannot compete in the Information Age. These countries will fare no better. They need look no further than their own elites to know this. † (Rothkop 4). While American media is popular worldwide, many of the countries which have adopted English as an official language in conjunction with their native culture are former British colonies, part of the great empire. It may be, then, that people who were once citizens, reluctant or otherwise, of the British Empire have assimilated that portion of their history into their national identity and the loss of historical culture has more to do with the history of conquering nations than the worldwide media. (Dunch 304). And, as Rothkop points out, it is the Information Age that is making the difference. Further complicating the question is the discussion of what â€Å"lost cultures† are under consideration. Certainly, traditional values have changed worldwide, but nowhere more so than in the United States itself. The country was founded largely by religious, agrarian people seeking to be free from state-sponsored religion and the only one of those things that is still representative of American society is the desire to avoid state-sponsored religion (Dunch 308). Who then is to be blame for the deterioration/changes in American society? The possibility exists of course, that American media has even influenced its own culture, drawing it away from its Puritanical roots, but another explanation would be that this is the natural progression of civilization. No longer are we the nomadic hunters and gatherers of prehistory or even the agrarian societies that we once were (Chilcote 81). Perhaps, the destruction of these â€Å"indigenous cultures† is in fact a move away from prehistory to a modernization. That is not to say that there are not things being lost and that this loss does not profoundly affect society, it does. However, evidence that the blame should be placed on the prevalence of American-based fast food chains worldwide or an international love affair with â€Å"Grey’s Anatomy† seems weak, at best. Likewise, the discussion and blame of the American culture for the loss of indigenous languages also seems far-fetched. Americans cannot even agree on a single language of their own. While countries around the world often have standards adopting a native language as one of their official languages, the United States as a whole does not recognize a national language. In New Zealand, Maori is recognized as an official language as is Welsh in the United Kingdom, protecting the indigenous languages. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, there are major portions of several states where as much as 25 percent of the population does not speak English in the home and in some parts of Alaska, Colorado, California, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and Florida more than 50 percent of the population is non-English speaking (Census 2000). It would then seem off to hold the United States responsible for the decline of native languages around the world when the country does not even enforce English-speaking within its own borders. Another oft thrown brick in the debate about cultural imperialism is the concept that the proliferation of American fast food around the world is leading to a decline in the native foods of some regions. The concepts centers on the idea that somehow the existence of McDonald’s means that people have stopped eating whatever their native cuisine is in favor of a quarter pounder and fries. But despite their prevalence worldwide, McDonald’s is by no means homogenous everywhere. In India, for example, where the great majority of the population is Hindu, the traditional Big Mac has been replaced by a lamb and chicken â€Å"and there is a vegetarian burger, the McAloo Tiki† (Adams 1). If American fast food were the demise of national cuisines, why would the menu ever vary from one country to the next? But here are just a few variations on the traditional American McDonald’s menu served worldwide† †¢ In fish-loving Norway, they have the McLaks, a sandwich made of grilled salmon and dill sauce. †¢ In parts of Canada, have a lobster dinner with the McLobster lobster roll. Pardon me – â€Å"McHomard† (in French). †¢ Japan totally reinvents McDonald’s with its Ebi Filet-O (shrimp burgers), Koroke Burger (mashed potato, cabbage and katsu sauce, all in a sandwich), Ebi-Chiki (shrimp nuggets) and Green Tea-flavored milkshake! †¢ In Israel, McDonald’s has 3 kosher restaurants where cheeseburger and dairy products are not served because Jewish Law forbids serving â€Å"the child [cow/beef] in its mother’s milk [dairy]. † They have McShawarma, meat in a pita bread roll (Adams 1) The accusation then that America is destroying international cuisine with the exportation of American fast food companies is a bit like saying that Chinese food as made in China is the same as Chinese food made in America. Food, lie civilization, evolves and adapts. As more things become available around the world, local cuisine adapts. Oftentimes, the cuisine was dictates by a local prevalence of certain foods, spices, etc. and now with refrigeration and shipping techniques evolving, so can the local foods. Another criticism some scholars have of globalization is that it destroys local art forms, but again, the international community has taken action to protect international indigenous art. Furthermore, the globalization of the world environment has meant that there are more markets for international art, giving greater exposure to the traditional arts and artists. To argue that globalization is destructive to the artistic community is a broad statement with no real basis (Winslow 711). Ultimately all the critics of globalization, who use loaded terms like cultural imperialism to describe what might be a natural process, point to factors that may be just part of the natural development process. Globalization may be a nature function of the move forward into the information age. â€Å"Globalization has economic roots and political consequences, but it also has brought into focus the power of culture in this global environment – the power to bind and to divide in a time when the tensions between integration and separation tug at every issue that is relevant to international relations. The impact of globalization on culture and the impact of culture on globalization merit discussion. The homogenizing influences of globalization that are most often condemned by the new nationalists and by cultural romanticists are actually positive; globalization promotes integration and the removal not only of cultural barriers but of many of the negative dimensions of culture. Globalization is a vital step toward both a more stable world and better lives for the people in it† (Rothkop 1) The problem is that people are not willing to understand that the economic power of the United States is going to mean that it plays an important role in globalization. That the economic development of globalization has to revolve around the economic powerhouses. Instead of blaming the changing world culture on the economic domination of the United States, countries need to look at the valuable consequences of the process. The best potential affect of globalization is a new understanding of other cultures and their interrelatedness to our own. â€Å"Language, religion, political and legal systems, and social customs are the legacies of victors and marketers and reflect the judgment of the marketplace of ideas throughout popular history. They might also rightly be seen as living artifacts, bits and pieces carried forward through the years on currents of indoctrination, popular acceptance, and unthinking adherence to old ways. Culture is used by the organizers of society – politicians, theologians, academics, and families – to impose and ensure order, the rudiments of which change over time as need dictates. It is less often acknowledged as the means of justifying inhumanity and warfare† (Rothkop 2) The question becomes is the decision to move to a world culture a bad thing? And, if the answer is that it helps do away with potential sources of conflict then it might be a good thing. The easiest way to make the argument in favor of globalization is to look at the cost of culture in the 20th century. Before we even discuss the individuals who lost their lives because of cultural conflicts, let’s talk about the entire groups lost. â€Å"As a reminder of the toll that such conflicts take, one need only look at the 20th century’s genocides. In each one, leaders used culture to fuel the passions of their armies and other minions and to justify their actions among their people. One million Armenians; tens of millions of Russians; 10 million Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals; 3 million Cambodians; and hundreds of thousands of Bosnians, Rwandans, and Timorese all were the victims of â€Å"culture† – whether it was ethnic, religious, ideological, tribal, or nationalistic in its origins. † (Rothkop 3). The hope then is that as the Information Age leads to international globalization that culture as point of contention leading to war can be avoided. â€Å"Inevitably, the United States has taken the lead in this transformation; it is the â€Å"indispensable nation† in the management of global affairs and the leading producer of information products and services in these, the early years of the Information Age. † (Rothkop 4). While some people fear this will lead to a homogenous world, sociologists assure that it will not happen with 6 billion people on the planet. The key though will be to allow globalization to bring people together instead of simply creating a new reason for warfare: economics. â€Å"Though the United States does boast the world’s largest, most powerful economy, no business is completely satisfied with controlling only the American market; American corporations want to control the other 95 percent of the world’s consumers as well† (Galeota 2) As the formerly Third World countries emerge and become a larger part of the global market place, the question will be whether the United States can maintain its economic superiority. â€Å"It is in the general interest of the United States to encourage the development of a world in which the fault lines separating nations are bridged by shared interests†. (Rothkop 5) The fear becomes that economic development will be the next issue to create international incident. Indeed, just as the United States is the world’s sole remaining military superpower, so is it the world’s only information superpower. While Japan has become quite competitive in the manufacture of components integral to information systems, it has had a negligible impact as a manufacturer of software or as a force behind the technological revolution. Europe has failed on both fronts. Consequently, the United States holds a position of advantage at the moment and for the foreseeable future. (Rothkop 5) The United States clearly wants to maintain this position of economic superiority and other countries will attempt to take it over. However, if the world’s nations can learn a form of economic interdependence that goes beyond the borders, then the world may be able to find a way to continue to evolve and to improve conditions for all citizens. As the world’s economies go beyond national borders, the wealth of the world can be more evenly distributed and all people can live happily. The reality of cultural imperialism or globalization is that it is a fact of life, not something that can be hidden from or condemned. Civilization is progressing and globalization is part of that progress. Is it destroying indigenous societies, via their art, culture, language and cuisine? Probably not. Are those cultures adapting to the world of the 21st century? Yes, they are. The world is completely different that it was and to be a part of it, cultures must adapt with it. Those who chose not to can attempt to close their borders and minds to the progress that is going on elsewhere, but the reality is that they are cursing themselves and their people to life less rich. While it is possible that shutting out the world can preserve outmoded traditions and cultures, it also restricts the natural processes of life. When life is not allowed to grow, it begins to die. The same with culture. If it is not allowed to grow and develop into a new world order, it will regress and lose the benefits of technology and modern science. WORKS CITED Adams, Beatrice. â€Å"McDonald’s Strange Menu Around the World† July 19, 2007. Census Data, (2000) December 2, 2007. Chilcote, Ronald H. â€Å"Globalization or Imperialism? † Latin American Perspectives > Vol. 29, No. 6, Globalization and Globalism in Latin America and the Caribbean (Nov. , 2002), pp. 80-84 December 2, 2007 Dunch, Ryan. â€Å"Beyond Cultural Imperialism: Cultural Theory, Christian Missions, and Global Modernity†. History and Theory , Vol. 41, No. 3 (Oct. , 2002), pp. 301-325 , December 2, 2007. Galeota, Julia. â€Å"Cultural Imperialism: An American Tradition† May 3, 2004. Hamm, Bernd and Russell Charles Smandych. â€Å"Cultural Imperialism: Essays on the Political Economy of Cultural Domination. † Broadview Press: USA, 2005. Rothkop, David. â€Å"In Praise of Cultural Imperialism? Effects of Globalization on Culture† Foreign Policy, June 22, 1997, , December 2, 2007. Tomlinson, John â€Å"Cultural Imperialism† Continuum International: USA, 2001. Winslow, E. M. â€Å"Marxian, Liberal, and Sociological Theories of Imperialism† The Journal of Political Economy , Vol. 39, No. 6 (Dec. , 1931), pp. 713-758 , December 2, 2007. .

Hobbes vs. Thoreau

Thomas Hobbes’ book, Leviathan and Henry David Thoreau’s essay, Resistance to Civil Government could not be more opposed when it comes to looking at the social contract from a political philosophy viewpoint. On the one hand, Hobbes maintains that humanity’s utmost obligation is to submit oneself to the authority of the sovereign state. Thoreau, on the other hand, argues that under specific circumstances, it is humanity’s duty is to resist the state. This paper will argue that Hobbes does not succeed in establishing our obligation to submit to the sovereign’s authority.Instead it is Thoreau whom is correct that in certain circumstances we are obliged to resist the State. The two main issues with Hobbes’ reasoning in Leviathan regarding the sovereign authority stem from his explanations of the Laws of Nature and the power of the government. In Thoreau’s Resistance to Civil Government, these two issues are more adequately addressed. Befor e establishing the reasons why Thoreau’s views on the obligations of the citizen to the state are more correct than Hobbes’, it should be noted that Thoreau’s essay, Resistance to Civil Government was published 198 years after Leviathan.While Hobbes wrote Leviathan during the English Civil War, Thoreau wrote Resistance to Civil Government as an abolitionist during the time of the slavery crisis in New England and the Mexican-American war. Therefore the differences in social context of the two works are drastic. Not only was Leviathan regarded as one of the earliest works containing social contract theory, Hobbes himself is regarded as one of the key figures in the English Enlightenment, otherwise known as the Age of Reason.This context within which Hobbes thrived, and within which Leviathan was published is significant, because the philosophical method upon which Hobbes based Leviathan is modelled after a geometric proof, founded upon first principles and establ ished definitions. In this model, each argument makes conclusions based upon the previous argument. Hobbes wanted to produce irrefutable political philosophy in Leviathan by creating a model based on geometry because conclusions that are derived by geometry are supposed to be indisputable.However Hobbes’ book is far from indisputable, and much of its logic is not entirely sound. This is evident in a number of examples, but most prominent are the Laws of Nature and the power of the government. In order to better explain why Hobbes does not completely succeed in establishing the obligation people have to submit to the sovereign’s authority, a brief summary of Leviathan is necessary. In Leviathan, Hobbes sets out on an exploration of human nature, which eventually leads him to the conclusion that an absolutist state, where all power lies within the hands of the sovereign authority, is necessary.The reason that Hobbes feels absolutism is necessary is what he refers to as t he ‘state of nature’. The state of nature is used to explain the inherent qualities in man that makes him behave the way he does, outside of the boundaries and limits imposed by social law. For Hobbes, the state of nature consists of selfish men who will inevitably turn to violence in their quest to satisfy their own selfish needs. Therefore, because all people are inherently violent in the state of nature, all are also equal because no person is above or less capable of violence than anyone else.To the argument that some are physically stronger than others, Hobbes retorts that even those who are stronger are still vulnerable when sleeping. In this way, though all are equally violent, all are also equally vulnerable. However, man is also rational, and so in response to this vulnerability, man’s selfish desire to ensure his own life above all else, will lead them to put their faith into the social contract. The basis upon which the social contract is made necessar y, in other words, the state of nature, is what ultimately produces the Leviathan.Hobbes believes that in order to secure their own lives, people will automatically submit all of their freedom into the hands of the sovereign’s authority. One of the first aspects of Hobbes’ work that undermines his, mostly logically-sound Leviathan, concerns the Laws of Nature. Hobbes seems to take it for granted that all the people in a single state would agree with one another to submit all of their power to one authoritative entity, on the basis that they will realize it is in the best interest of their security.As professor Ian Johnston says, â€Å"If human beings are like sheep, I don't see why they need a ruler; if human beings are like wolves, I don't see how they will tolerate a ruler. † If, as Hobbes suggests, the state of nature is anarchy, then what aspect of nature drives all people to form a commonwealth? In this respect, it appears that Hobbes contradicts himself, f or he proclaims that man is brutish, violent, and only concerned with self-interest, however he is also reasonable enough to form a social ontract in which his own ease and commodious living is secured. In light of the latter characteristics of man that Hobbes describes, where man is rational enough to participate in such a social contract, the necessity of submitting oneself entirely to the sovereign authority is unfounded and too extreme. The second main issue with Leviathan concerns the power of the government. Hobbes fails to explain why people would trust an authority made up of other people, no different from themselves.If every person knows that their own inherent violence and selfishness is what necessitates total rule by an authoritative figure, would they not doubt the authority, assuming that the corruptness inside of them extends to said authority as well? Hobbes does not seem to consider this issue worth much in-depth consideration, for he does not believe that the sove reign authority would ever put the people in a situation where they need to defend themselves from the governing powers. According to Hobbes, the state will remain efficient because it recognizes its dependence upon the work of the citizens.In Hobbes’ words, â€Å"the private interest is the same with the public. The riches, power, and honour of a monarch arise only from the riches, strength and reputation of his subjects. For no king can be rich, nor glorious, nor secure, whose subjects are either poor, or contemptible, or too weak through want, or dissention, to maintain a war against their enemies. †Ã‚  However, the consequences on a person’s ability to produce wealth for a country is not the only concern for a state in which all the power rests within the hands of a sovereign authority.Hobbes answer does not reach any further into the moral or human rights of the citizens, which are much more vulnerable to being infringed upon in an absolutist state. Hobbes neglects to address this because he believes that the state would not attack these rights based on the fact that it would potentially produce chaos, which is the exact opposite of what the sovereign authority is meant to do. It is clear that for Hobbes, the dangers of a tyrannical sovereign are more appealing than the absence of any sovereign, or in other words, a society left to the state of nature.While having some form of government, as opposed to rampant violence, is preferable, it is unnecessary for the citizens to relinquish all freedom to the authority of the sovereign, as Hobbes suggests. It would have been impossible for Hobbes to predict the political evolution of modern states. However his description of the benefits of the absolutist state hint at modern examples of states where all the power has been concentrated into a single, sovereign authority, leading to the extreme corruption that Hobbes believed it would eradicate.The 20th century is full of examples of this; how ever one that particularly exemplifies the dangers of total submission to the state is Fascist Italy, ruled absolutely by Benito Mussolini from the early 1920s to the mid 1940s. Instead of aiding the state and its people, Mussolini created an illusion of what the common good really was, in order to enforce his own, absolute power. This lead to a significant decrease in security and loss of many human lives, which seems to indicate that submitting all power to the state, can lead people back into Hobbes’ ‘state of nature’, instead of out of it.While Hobbes’ endorsement of absolutism may have noble aims for humanity, when looked at from its primal and organic intentions, often absolutism results in the violent enforcing of rules or ideologies upon people, which is in itself a loss of security, and form of inhumane chaos. In a reaction to the rampant slavery in America during the 19th century and the Mexican-American war, Thoreau wrote the essay Resistance to Civil Government, hoping to encourage people to trust their own consciences over the rule of the law enforced by the government.Thoreau believes that mans best service to one’s own country paradoxically takes the form of resistance against it, if one feels that the government is supporting unjust or immoral laws. Subverting to the government, no matter what, or out of the necessity of obligation is to the detriment of the state and society, according to Thoreau. Instead, it is better to work to build a better one in the long term, even if that means chaos or anarchy in the form of revolution n the short-term.Though Thoreau’s views seem much more modern than Hobbes, Thoreau does doubt the effectiveness of democracy, or rather the reform of a government from within the government. Believing that voting and petitioning for change to be inefficient, Thoreau feels that one cannot truly see the government for what it is when one is working with it, and therefore one also ca nnot effect change when working with the government. In sharp contrast to Hobbes’ views on the role of the government, Thoreau not only proclaims, â€Å"that government is best which governs least†, but even going so far as to say, â€Å"that government is best which governs not at all. This is an example of where finding the middle ground between Hobbes and Thoreau is useful. While Hobbes may be correct that some form of government is necessary to a level of order within the state, Thoreau’s reasoning for why the government can be interfering can be found in modern example of politics. According to Thoreau, the government is used by a certain group of people to impose on others for their own personal gains. In this way, the government aids the success of those who control the state while impeding the success of those who are imposed upon.This view on the government can find itself exemplified in specific aspects of the American government. Though the role of t he government is to secure the safety and rights of all its citizens equally, many had dubbed the 20th century as an era of ‘corporatism’ for America, securing only the interests of companies. Corporatism, in terms of politics, is when wealth is used as a tool by corporations to sway the government in the direction of their own private interests. The overwhelming dominance of corporations can spread beyond politics, into many aspects of society.There are a number of negative effects of corporatism for the ‘common man’, such as pervasiveness on works unions, the increase in taxes coming out of citizens pockets in order to provide direct outlays, the subsidizing of unsubsidized jobs, the erosion of virtue within commerce, etc. Thoreau would have agreed with this notion of ‘corporate America’ for he believed the government to be like a machine, in which injustice is an inevitable component. Thoreau did not intend to ‘demonize’ the Ame rican government, but rather to shed light on what he felt was a total lack of agency or usefulness.This example establishes a modern framework for Thoreau’s argument that the government is not infallible, and how the role of the government sometimes necessitates resistance. As Hobbes would state, it is a natural part of being human to look out for one’s best interest. However, like his views on the role of the government, Thoreau’s view on the nature of men appears to also be more correct, in light of current or historical politics. In other words, chaos is not always best dealt with by being replaced by subservience, but by resistance and a change in ideological structure.Another current example of the validity behind Thoreau’s argument can be found in the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring refers to the movement of uprisings that arose and spread across the Arab world in 2011. It led to many revolutionary outcomes, such as the first free Tunisian election in October; the Egyptian president Mubarak being displaced by a pro-democracy movement; the toppling of dictator Gadhafi, liberation of Libya, and the removal of the ban on Libyan political parties; and the authoritarian leader of Jordan being forced to replace his government.None of these movements would have been possible without people’s willingness to fight to bring some of the power away from the government, and into their own hands. As if often the case with political philosophy, both Hobbes’ and Thoreau’s views are best when aspects of both theorists are taken and combined. When the absolutist nature of the government Hobbes’ argues for is taken away, his belief that a governing entity is required for maintaining a certain, and desirable, level of order becomes more valid.However in order to ensure that the rights and of citizens are protected, Thoreau is correct in arguing that resistance to an unjust government is the only way to ensure a just gove rnment. However, between Hobbes’ Leviathan, and Thoreau’s Resistance to Civil Government, the latter is more successful in establishing a sound view on the social contract. Thoreau’s advocates the evolution, and not destruction of the government.Therefore his argument that the government should be one that is capable of improvement based on the needs of the people, and his argument that people should embrace chaos if it means a just and moral reform of the government succeeds more than the arguments of Hobbes. Bibliography Bird, Alexander. â€Å"Squaring the Circle: Hobbes on Philosophy and Geometry. † Journal of the History of Ideas. 10. 1 (1996): 217-231. Germino, Dante. â€Å"Italian Fascism in the History of Political Thought. † Midwest Journal of Political Science. 8. 2 (1964): 109-126. Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. London: Penguin Books, 1968/1651. Johnston, Ian. â€Å"Four Problems in Theory. On Hobbes Leviathon. Created December 2002. Accesse d November 2012. Keller, Ever. â€Å"In the service of â€Å"truth† and victory†: Geometry and rhetoric in the political works of Thomas Hobbes. † Prose Studies: History, Theory Criticism. 15. 2 (2008): 129-152. May, Larry. Ethics in the History of Western Philosophy. New York: MacMillan/St. Martin’s Press, 1990. Owen, Judd J. â€Å"The Tolerant Leviathan: Hobbes and the Paradox of Liberalism. † Polity. 37. 1 (2005): 130-148. Schmitter, Philippe C. â€Å"Still the Century of Corporatism? † The Review of Politics. 36. 1 (1974): 85-131.Thoreau, Henry David. â€Å"Resistance to Civil Government. † The Picket Line. Work written 1894. Accessed October 2012. Turner, Jack. â€Å"Performing Conscience: Thoreau, Political Action, and the Plea for John Brown. † Sage Publications, Inc. 33. 4 (2005): 448-471 Woods, Thomas E. â€Å"The Cultural Costs of Corporatism: How Government-Business Collusion Denigrates the Entrepreneur and Rewards the Sycophant. † First Principles: ISI Web Journal. Accessed November 2012.

John Steinbeck Essay

Introduction The American dream was created by James Truslow Adams in 1931, James Truslow Adams believed that the American dream was of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunities for each according to ability or achievement, the American dream was targeted at poor people who wanted to have a better future, some of the things that might be in the American dream is to have a house with a nice family. In the book’ Of Mice and Men’. The American Dream is everyone has a dream to strive for the better things in life. The poor men and women wish to be their own bosses, and actually have stability in their lives, the poor wanted to have there own homes and have a nice family. But in the 1930’s there weren’t many or even any jobs available for the average everyday people of America. The American dream was for everyone to have a dream, the dream was created in the 1930’s America, and the great depression was caused by the Wall Street crash, because of the crash many people had lost there jobs and were unemployed, any money that would have been saved in there banks, it wasn’t possible for them to take it out because of the wall street crash, the entire banking system had collapsed and a huge number of banks went bust. There where many people staving and illnesses started to flood through out America. The only jobs that people could get where at ranches so there where many migrant farmers going to farm to farm trying to find a job, it was very competitive for them to get a job because every one wanted to make money so the could fill them self’s in the time of the great depression there was a big drought which caused a lot of farms to dry up. All the useable ranches where you could actually get some crops out of where in California. Many rich people had ranches in California so every one who’s ranches where dried out and couldn’t be used they would go to California, but not every one would have got a place because of the overcrowdings. In the story ‘of mice and men’ the two men are also migrant farmers and are in need of a job at a ranch, this is how the ‘of mice and men’ is linked to the great depression. George and Lennie. The relationship between George and Lennie is like a father and son relation ship, in the story lennie is represented like a child because of his disabilities and how he acts. In the story George is always telling off lennie for any thing bad which he does, a quote to represent George telling off lennie is,’ Aw, lennie George put his hand on Lennie’s shoulder â€Å", I aint taking it for meanness. ‘ This is showing two things one which is that he’s telling off lennie for something bad what he has done and that at the time of telling him off he’s actually being nice and saying he doesn’t do it for meanness, just like a father would do. Lennie treats George like a father by always listening to him, in the story lennie mimics George’s moves, a quote showing this is, ‘Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees, embraced them, and looked over to George to see whether he had it just right’. This shows that George treats Lennie in a father perspective and thinks of him as a role model. George also gets Frustrated over Lennie when he doesn’t listen and does bad stuff a quote showing this is,† But not us! An’ why? Because†¦ because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you. † This is showing that if he didn’t have to look after Lennie he would have a better life and George could go to a cat house when ever he wanted to and spend all his money unlike now when he has to save it up for the both of them and try and fulfil there dream as best as possible. Why George keeps Lennie around is because he doesn’t want to be lonely and live his life like all the other migrant farmers which go to cat houses and spend there earned money on useless money, a quote showing this is,† they come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then go into town and blow their stake, and the next thing you know they’re pounding’ their tail on some other ranch. † The quote is showing that other migrant farmers spend all there earning but George has a reason to earn money, the reason being lennie. George likes to have lennie around a quote showing this is. ‘ it’s a lot nicer to go around with a guy you know. † The quote was when George was talking to slim and took out his feelings. George and Lennies dream is to have a house and land and to have many farm animals especially lennie he is really interested in having lots of rabbits to tend and chickens, a quote to show this dream is† All kin’s a vegetables in the garden, and if we want a little whisky we can sell a few eggs or something, or some milk. We’d jus’ live there. We’d belong there. There wouldn’t be no more runnin’ round the country and gettin’ fed by a Jap cook. This quote shows that George and lennie want to be free to have what they want when they want, there is no hustle of doing anything they can grow fresh vegetables on the land run around on the fields enjoying themselves and lennie can tend the rabbits which he would be pleased about. As this would be relevant to the 1930s migrant farmers, George and lennie were alone and didn’t have any one to talk to and were quite lonely, a quote to show this is â€Å"but not us! Because†¦.. because I got you to look after me , and you got me to look after you and that’s why† this quote shows that George and lennie were together to look after each other referring to the 1930s many people didn’t travel together and didn’t have the right people to go to if something happened in their lives, referring to the book of mice and men George is always looking after lennie and having to care and see what he is doing where ever he goes, George is a good parent to a lennie he sometimes can get frustrated with lennie but at the same time he doest want to be lonely as he keeps him company. And the interactions he makes towards lennie to make him understand what he is doing. George and Lennies dream didn’t succeed because Lennie was getting into to much trouble, like the time in weed when he started to feel that girls dress, a quote showing the time when Lennie got in trouble was,† well, he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch ever’ thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. † This quote shows George getting into trouble because he of his child like behaviour.

Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins Essay

Book Review: Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins Dr. David Traverzo Christian Ethics Gregory A. Keels 02/13/2012 Doing Christian Ethics from the margins is all about helping people explore the ethical issues of the marginalized. This book reveals as to how people who live in the margins of society deal with ethics. Also this book reveals how the same marginalized people worldview is different from the dominate culture who is not apart of the marginalized. This book is divided into four sessions, the first section dealing with theory while the last three gives specific case studies to the theory. The first session titled Ethical Theory deals with how Christian ethical systems are formed. The author Miguel A. De la Torre gives his understanding of ethical theory. The first main and important statement he makes in this section is when he talks about ethics being done in a particular social location. When he stated that it proved that ethics and social welfare comes together. A person’s upbringing and social surroundings affects his or her ethics. Also in this section the author talks about how white males generally dominated the academic ethics. This domination has many pitfalls. Some of these pitfalls include spiritual concerns that are excluded from social concerns, individualism, grace in favor of works, thinking more of heaven instead of the here and now, and failure to come up with a transformation praxis. These pitfalls reinforce ideologies of power that are connected to unjust social structures that include racism, classism, and sexism. The author puts up a challenge to every single reader to come up with a code of ethics that will identify with the example of Christ of standing against the ppressed. In the other three parts of the book the author gives case studies and show how his own hermeneutic circle applied to different ethical situations such as relationships, business, and global relationships. in each section there are four chapters. the first chapter explains the topics and the other three explains the topic with case studies. The hermeneutic circle is made up of five steps. In each of those five steps a per son’s worldview ethics is challenged and encourages the person to be more engaged in social transformation. The steps include observing, reflecting, praying, acting, and releasing. This pattern is a continuous circle repeating itself over and over. The significance of this book to the church is great significance. This model the author has presented could be used greatly in the church. When I was looking at this model I felt this is what the church should be doing. The church is only effective if it is active in the community. The church should be able to see what the need of the community, pray on it, act on it and then move onto the next need. Part of Christian ethics is doing the right thing when the problem is presented. Two of the case studies that I felt can greatly impact the church was the case studies on global and national poverty. the church has always played a major role in helping the poverty both globally and nationally. However I believe that the church need to realize that poverty is more then just not having any food or being homeless. Poverty is connected to social class. It is connected to those who can afford an education and those who can not. Poverty is also connected to those who can get hired for the high paying jobs and those who can only get the jobs that pay minimum salary and is not enough to raise a family. The church can do a better job in helping in that area. The main part of a Christian’s ethics is helping those who are in need. This is our primary responsibility. So in order to fulfill that responsibility we must understand the whole issue of poverty. The significance this book has on the society can be great. However I believe the church and society must be connected together. This helps those who read it understand the problems of the marginalized and how it can be addressed. It would be really helpful if those who were from the groups who hold the most power read this book for a better understanding of how the actions they do affect those who are marginalized. Just like I stated with the church and its response to poverty the society has to have the same response. However since the society is not the church the ethical response would be different. Those who are in high powerful positions have the ethical obligation to assist those who are in the marginalized. However what we see is those people exploiting the marginalized. When it comes to ethics as a whole this book as revealed to me no matter what position you are connected to rather it is Christian ethics, business ethics, or society ethics you have an obligation to help those who do not have the power to help themselves. It is not just about poverty either. There is an ethical obligation to help the marginalized when it comes to things like affirmative action, war, the environment etc. A strength I found in this is how the author used real life examples in his case studies that included people who were marginalized. By using real life stories it brought a whole new experience than from a typical text book. This help take the readers from a spectator view to an up close and personal view of what it is like to be in the marginalized. Another strength I felt the author had was the discussion questions at the end of each chapter. These discussion questions help the reader reflect and understand more about the marginalized. Also these discussion questions help the reader form a more solid ethic for the marginalized. The main weakness I saw in this book is how the author did not really go through the whole hermeneutic cycle. In each case study the first three cycles were used. It would have been better if the author used the whole cycle so that the reader could get a full example of how the cycle is used and the outcome of the cycle. Also it would have been helpful if the author had given some examples where this cycle has not worked. Perhaps it would even be helpful if the author had limited to just once case study in each section and go more in depth as to how the cycle worked in the case study. Overall I strongly recommend this book to those who have a desire to get an action plan that will have an impact on dealing with the marginalized. De La Torre makes a great case in challenging those who are in the dominate culture to give up the heavy power and special privilege they have so that those who are in the marginalized can live a better life. With making this challenge the author has given great tools for those who are committed to seeing the transformation of the marginalized. While this seem like a no brainer to some it might be still difficult for those in the dominate culture to accept. Some people might just not see how the dominate culture affects the marginalized while others feel they are doing just enough. Also you might get those who will say they will embrace De La Torre’s model but will fail to actually attempt to do it. It is going to take a lot of work and sacrifice to see true change. Who is willing to actually do that hard work? Who is going feel it is actually worth it? Regardless of where you fit in the spectrum we all have to do our part. If we all do not step in and say we are willing to make the sacrifices need to see a transformational change then regardless of what one group does it will not work. this has to be a group effort. I believe this is the point De La Torre was trying to bring across.

Nestlé: Sustaining Growth in Mature Markets Essay

Nestlà © was first founded by Henri Nestle in the 1860s by developing and producing food products for babies who could not adapt mother’s milk. Following the success in baby food products, Henri incorporated with an Anglo-Swiss condensed milk company to develop dairy products, especially for government supply in World War I. High sensitive and quick responding to the demand of consumer, Nestle continued to create and develop new product mix to canned food, beverage, pet care products, to maximize its scope of business in the food segment. Nestle had been incurring high success during its operation in food industry, proved by production many creative product portfolio, double sales and tripled profits, globally brand recognition, offices and factories around the world with the management of previous CEO Helmut Maucher. Maucher successfully promoted Nestle to higher position in the market as a global company and has been operating beyond its original Europe boundary. Nestle is presently one of the largest food company in the world. Nestle has been called the most conglomerate companies ever, with more than 400 plants in 77 countries and growing. Nestle is Switzerland’s largest industrial company and the world’s leading food processor. The food giant ranks as one of the 100 largest companies in the world. Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s primary products include beverages such as (coffee, chocolate drinks, mineral water, and soft drinks), dairy products, infant formula, culinary products (soups, seasoning, condiments), frozen foods and ice cream, yogurt and chilled desserts, and chocolate. Nestle seems not still happy with what it had obtained. Under leadership of current CEO Peter Brabeck, Nestle is now experiencing a more significant growth and synergies as the top nutrition and Food Company with the strategic management of Brabeck since he took over Nestle in 1997. CEO Brabeck realized the need of Nestle and his first priority was to achieve real internal growth. Strategies were employed to achieve this organic growth and now Nestle is posting CHF $91 billion in sales and CHF $8 billion in profits. Brabeck’s will hand over the company in 2008 and his successor will be facing the task of maintaining the successful momentum. This uncertainty about the future of the company is left to be seen and is the driving factor to the question: Can Nestle sustain its industrial growth in Mature Markets under the new CEO Paul Bulcke or would  the growing competitive pressure shrink its overall growth. To answer this question, an in-depth analysis must be undertaken to understand the external environment that Nestle is operating in by looking at the General, Industry, and Competitor environment and also a microscopic look into Nestle internal environment. The general environment of Nestle looks at the demographic trend. Nestle international operations are in 77 countries with over 400 plus plants and their products are sold on all six continents. The world population is increasing on a daily basis and the geographic distribution of populations is shifting. The world population is also aging quickly and the ethnic mixes in developed countries are changing rapidly. The average household incomes are increasing and Nestle could take advantage of these trends. The demographic environment presents both opportunities and threats for Nestle. The increases in population size and household incomes would help to expand the market in which Nestle operates. However, changes in the geographic distribution of populations, due to technological advances in communications, may cause difficulties for nestle in determining profitable locations for new plants. The economic trend shows that the average market growth of a mature global food industry is 2 percent. Nestle first achieve a four percent internal growth target in 2000 and consistently repeated performance in subsequent years. This growth might be contributed by the economic global trend. The U.S economy decline into recession in 2001 and in order to stimulate the economy, interest rates in United States were cut to near record lows. Many nations around the world are affected by the U.S economy and Nestle Global companies are no exceptions. The economic trend showed in 2005 that there was significant economic growth due to very low interest rates in the United States, resulting in substantial growth in global trade. This growth was slow down by high oil prices. The economic environment presents both threats and opportunities for Nestle. The growth in global trade presents opportunities for Nestle in innovation and renovation of new and old products to offer to its customers. However, the increase in oil prices would cause an increase in the cost of transportation for goods destined for Nestle plants which would threaten Nestle profitability. Operating in all six continents in over 77 countries, the politic al/legal environment presents a threat for Nestle. The differences in the political/legal environment across regions would make it difficult, and  sometimes costly, for Nestle to comply with government regulations. Political risk in some countries remains comparatively high as does the threat of lawsuits from competitors, distributors, and consumers. The socio culture presents opportunities for Nestle. Nestle is often referred to as a role model company that thinks globally but acts locally (p. N 261). Creating a unit that is concerned with adapting global products to local taste and requirements. Nestle would take advantage of the consumer by proving what the consumer wants in that culture. Whether it would be the color, shape, form or taste of the product, Nestle would adapt to those local culture. The technological environment presents opportunities and threats for Nestle. When GLOBE has been introduce in the most relevant markets, all inter-market systems will communicate much better with each other than they do now (p. N 263). Improvements in technology will allow Nestle to perform better analysis of data related to existing and future customer bases. The improvements will also allow Nestlà © to continue to improve its supply chain, which is vital in enabling Nestlà © to offer better prices to its customers. These technological improvements, however, may also be readily available to competitors. Competitors can easily mimic Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s processes through advances in technology. The global environment presents opportunities for Nestlà ©. The company enjoys being in the leading position in the global food industry. The rapid globalization of business markets presents opportunities to Nestlà © as countries relax regulations that hinder trade and foreign entry into domestic markets. The increased importance of environmentally friendly business operations may also increase costs of operation. However, Nestlà © has established itself as an environmental leader; and the result is shown by the increased in sales and profitability. An industry is a group of firms producing products that are close in substitutes (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2009). In reference to Nestlà ©, an analysis of threats to new entrants, the bargaining powers of the suppliers and buyers, the threat to substitute products and rivalry amongst competing firms would be carefully examined. Nestlà © is the oldest and most truly global companies in the food industry (p. N 261). Nestlà © boast over 130 years of industry knowledge in all markets over the world and the awareness to adapt its products to local taste. Acquisitions of Dreyer, Ralston Purina and Jenny Craig made Nestlà © to become the market leader in ice cream, global  leader in pet food and the world largest nutrition and weight management market respectively. The threat of new entrants in Nestlà © industry looks at the barriers of entry. Product differentiation is very high to imitate. The company produces over 127,000 products under six strategic brands: Nestlà ©, Buitoni, Maggie, Nescafe, Nestea and Purina. Nestlà © products are produce to offer characteristics such as quality, taste and safety. Economies of scale is another barrier to entry for Nestle and this is showed through the operations of 400 plants in 77 countries and employed more than 250,000 people. Nestle drive for acquisition was to gain critical mass in terms of market share in businesses in which scale is vital for success (p. N265). Size provides considerable economies of scale in the food industry. Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s operations are massive and global in scope. Barriers to entry for new entrants are increased by high economies of scale. The switching costs are high because Nestle production is based on innovation and renovation of its well branded product. Nestle works on improving their products especially in mature markets where Nestle generates the bulk of its sale. Continuous upgrading of existing product is an important source of internal growth. Nestle controls its distribution channel and provide assistance to Distribution Company to carry their products. Having access to distribution channels can be a strong entry barrier for new entrants, especially in industries like Nestle. Whenever industry growth is slow and constrained there will be expected retaliation. Nestle was increasingly facing fierce competition as many food producing rivals had achieved significant improvements in their operating efficiency (p. N 262). Nestle weak profitability, whose root causes could be traced to Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s various acquisition that slowed down the overall growth of the companies and open the doors for competitors to take advantage. Bargaining power of suppliers with the food industry shows that Nestle manufactured over 127,000 products and purchase of raw materials such as coffee and milk. The company utilized the expansion strategy to help with dependency of coffee from its suppliers. The Power of suppliers is low. The supplier groups are less concentrated and not dominated by a few large companies. Bargaining power of the buyers is very high because Nestle is high on quality, taste, and safety. They have modified more than 700 of their products by adding nutritional functionalities for its buyers. Whereby, the buyers are demanding high  quality, taste, and safety products and Nestle is providing it. Nestle was facing fierce competitive pressure and the threat was due to the slow growth of the company that was caused by acquisitions. Although the number of truly global competitors was limited, the most notable being Kraft, Masterfoods, and Unilever, Nestle was also facing strong competition at the national and regional level (p. N 262). The return on shares decrease from 44% in 97 to 15% in 2001 but increase tremendously in 2005, whereby its rival, Hersey have seen a constant shareholders return over the ten years. Note in particular was the 88% in 2001 to 306% in 2005. In fact, all competitors yield positive shareholders return between the years of 2001 to 2005, possible due to the low interest rate that created a global increase in trade. The competitive environment in the external environment is fierce on the local and regional level but limited on the global level. Globally, Nestle competitors are Kraft, Masterfoods and Unilever. In 1997, the company was ranked eight among the world’s top 12 packaged food companies in terms of returns on capital. Its net margin was only half of its major rival Unilever (p. N 262). Today, Nestle employs over 250,000 employees, manufactures approximately 127,000 products in 77 countries under six major brands: Nestle, Maggie, Nescafe, Purina, Buitoni, and Nescafe. Nestle basically doubled its competitor industry growth and is far ahead of its closest competitor. The internal organization of Nestle focuses on the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization. Between 1982 and 1997, under CEO Maucher, the company showed a great deal of strength and also major weaknesses, but CEO Brabeck, during 1997 and 2005, utilized effective strategy to move the company forward. The borrowing capacity of the company was evident in 2005, where Nestle generated total sales of CHF $91 billion and net income of CHF $8 billion and was the leading food manufacturing industry. Nestle also have the ability to generate internal funds and from 1997 to 2005, Nestle continued its expansion through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions. Once the feasibility study is conclusive, Nestle will focus on selecting the format best suited to the particular market and adapting that format to local needs. Nestle physical resource includes over 400 plants in 77 countries, on the six continent all over the world and employed more than 250,000 people of which 3,500 are scientist in the research and development section. The technological  resources utilized by Nestle were the GLOBE program that is designed to improve operational efficiency by integrating the company’s businesses on a global scale. The objectives are to establish best practices in business processes, to align data standard, and to install common information system. GLOBE will allow all inter market systems to communicate better with each other. Intangible resources such as knowledge and trust were seen in Nestle. The company knowledge was displayed in its 140 years of profound knowledge of markets all over the world, and the ability to adapt its product to local taste. Nestle trust its workers and the organization structure is a decentralized one. Whenever there was an acquisition, Nestle would promote managers from the acquired company. This promotion displayed trust building measures hoping that those managers would be effective and efficient with their new roles and responsibilities. Nestle also utilized innovation resources for its success. Nestle is considered the innovation leader in the global food and nutrition sector (p. N 264). The company created a research and development section and invested CHF $1.5 billion for renovation and innovation of old and new products. They hired 3,500 scientists with the quest to this achieve internal growth. Business level strategy of Nestle was to seek ways in which the company can grow internally because the external growth strategy has been reached. The company was ranked first in all the product segments in which it operated (p. N 261). However, with all this acquisition and external growth, the company’s market growth was only 2 percent. The CEO Brabeck goal was to achieve real internal growth. The company had many challenges and weaknesses. The most important of these challenges when the company generated more than 70 percent of its sales in mature markets with a limited potential for organic growth (p. N 262). The company was also challenge with slow market growth due to the amount of acquisitions over the years and had portfolio that included several low margin product segments that negatively affected profitability. This led to company being ranks eight among the top twelve packaged food companies in terms of return on capital. Brabeck business strategy was focus specifically on Nestle organic growth. Organic growth in mature markets could only be reached by strengthening Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s innovative capacity. His strategy was to force the businesses to become more efficient by cutting back on their investment budget (p. N 262). The first task was to achieve  Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s operational efficiency. Nestle launched a manufacturing efficiency programs MH97, Target 2004+, and Operation excellence 2007. Other strategic initiatives were FitNes, GLOBE, and the reduction of the marketing expenditure by exploiting synergies brand. These efficiency strategies saved Nestle over CHF $12 billion and the savings were invested into internal growth. Organic Growth was evident when Nestle was transformed from a food company into a food, nutrition, health, and wellness company. This was accomplished by creating units such as Corporate Wellness and Nestle Nutrition units. The company strengthens its innovation by focusing on the research and development and investing heavily in innovation and renovation and organizational changes to improve research and development’s connection with market Nestle operates. They created the Product Technology Centers, Local Application Centers and Clusters. Nestle also used external growth as a platform for organic growth by the acquisition of Dreyer, Ralston Purina and Jenny Craig. All these strategies yielded Nestle in 2005 CHF $91 billion in Sales, $8 billion in profits and 4 percent market growth. In conclusion, the new CEO Paul Bulcke of Nestle is taking over an organization that is already a global giant and the strategies that his predecessor was able to establish in the span of ten years are fostered for continuity. The new CEO Paul Bulcke would be able to maintain and at some point, increase sales and profits for the next five years. Although the competition is fierce, Nestle economies of scales, financial capabilities, 140 years of knowledge and experience, external and now internal growth would make it difficult for the competition to shrink Nestle industry growth. With the sizeable investment of CHF $1.5 billion in research and development, the new CEO would have a unit that is created for new innovations and also to renovate the old products. The new CEO Paul Bulcke could build on the abundance of strengths Nestle acquire over the years, overcome the few weaknesses the global giant has, take advantage of the tremendous opportunities for nestle, and avoid the external threats that could cause the company to lose market share. CASE RELATED QUESTIONS Preparing to hand over the CEO position to Mr. Paul Bulcke on April 10, 2008, you decide to summarize the lessons and successes of your tenure in that position. Your first step will be to outline the environmental forces that  you faced in 1997 (Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s internal strengths and weaknesses and the external opportunities and threats facing the company at that time). You have a meeting scheduled later this month to give Bulcke direction on taking the company forward. You’ve outlined the following agenda for the meeting. Characteristics of the Current Competitive Landscape: Globalization, Technology, Knowledge, Strategic Flexibility, Quality, Profit Pool Vision and Mission Stakeholders Acquisition Strategy Organizational Structure Strategic Leadership Strategic Entrepreneurship Your assignment is to give a full assessment of the agenda items to prepare Bulcke for leading the company in the years ahead keeping in mind that Nestle needs to maintain its strong growth momentum in the developing and emerging world. Since I took over the Nestle Organization from 1997 to 2007, many environmental forces were created during the past decade. The company went through environment opportunities and threats from outside and also established internal strengths and in process was exposed to a few weaknesses. Nestle had tremendous opportunities because of the numerous acquisitions by my previous predecessor. The company had the potential for organic growth, further expansion to other countries, and increase in shareholders capital. During that time, Nestle was threaten by fierce competition locally, regionally and a little on the global scene. This threat was due to the numerous acquisitions that slowed the industry growth and gave these companies the opportunities to compete. However, during the decade, numerous strengths were created whereby Nestle implemented manufacturing efficiency programs by cutting down on wild spending and channel that savings into innovation and renovation. That strategy grew the organization from a 2 percent growth to 4 percent. The company also boasts of 140 years of experience and knowledge, operating in all six continents, well liquidated, and has the ability to create what the consumer wants  through its research and development unit. The limited weaknesses were evident such as the inability to identify that the productions of canned food, tomato, oil, dry pasta that would be slow in growth. However those items were divested in the past decade. Characteristics of the current competitive landscape of Nestle look at the fierce competitive environment on the local and regional level but limited on the global level. Globally, Nestle competitors are Kraft, Masterfoods and Unilever. In 1997, the company was ranked eight among the world’s top 12 packaged food companies in terms of returns on capital. Its net margin was only half of its major rival Unilever (p. N 262). Nestle employs over 250,000 employees, manufactures approximately 127,000 products in 77 countries under six major brands: Nestle, Maggie, Nescafe, Purina, Buitoni, and Nescafe. The profit is on the rise and would make strategic flexibility for the new CEO. Nestle basically doubled its competitor industry growth and is far ahead of its closest competitor. Nestle vision states that â€Å"each day we strive to make our products tastier and healthier choices that help consumers care for themselves and their families† and its mission is to â€Å"positively influence the social environment in which we operate as responsible corporate citizens, with due regard for those environmental standards and societal aspirations which improve quality of life.† Stakeholders are an important part of Nestle organization and the bottom line is to ensure that the shareholders are satisfied. Shareholders were not satisfied with CEO Maucher due to the fact that shareholders were accustomed to getting 17 percent annually when the organization was growing through acquisition but when the limit of the external growth had been reached, shareholders return decreased. This decrease in shareholders return led to the firing of CEO Maucher. During the decade, Nestle acquisition strategy was used as a platform for organic growth. The concept behind acquisition was to gain a critical mass in terms of market share in businesses in which scale is vital for success. External growth was used to gain expect knowledge for further expansion into new product segments. The Nestle Organizational structure is one that is decentralized, and changes were made to improve the research and development’s connection with the markets in which Nestle operates. The organizational measures were the creation of Product Technology Centers, Local Application Centers, and Clusters Within the Nestle organization there  must be strategic leadership to move the company forward and also strategic entrepreneurship. This leadership must be able to identify specific areas where Nestle can grow, maintain, and sustain its global dominance. References Raisch, S., Ferlic, Flora. (2006). Nestle: Sustaining Growth in Mature Markets. INSEAD. Hitt, Ireland, Hoskisson. (2009). Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization (Concepts and Cases). (8th ed.) Mason, OH Hitt, M. H., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2009). Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization. (8th ed.). South-Western Cengage Learning 5191 Natorp Boulevard Mason, OH 45040 USA. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.Nestlà © .com

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