Chocolate History Essay Example for Free

Chocolate History Essay All chocolate starts with a seed called a cocoa bean that is grown on a small tree. Many countries in Central and South America produce cocoa beans. The history of chocolate starts in Latin America, where the cocoa bean was first discovered about 2,000 years ago on a tropical tree. The first people recognized to have used these beans to make any kind of chocolate were the Maya’s. They called it the kakawa bean, which is where the origin of the world chocolate began. They most often used the bean to make a spicy, foamy drink. Later, the Aztecs discovered the cocoa bean. Eventually this was introduced in Europe after the Spaniards came to Central America. When the Spaniards began experimenting with the bean, they began to add other spices to it, such as cinnamon and sugar, to give the chocolate a sweeter taste. Soon, the rest of Europe started drinking it and it became a popular drink that only the rich could afford. In the 1600’s the first chocolate house was opened and this flavor was able to reach the mouths of many other people. In the early 1800’s, solid chocolate was created. It became more affordable to everyone and throughout time more recipes were experimented with, creating many different types of chocolate. There are many different types of chocolate such as White, Dark (bittersweet), Milk, Semi-Sweet and even Baking Chocolate (unsweetened). White chocolate isnt really considered chocolate because it has no cocoa solids in it, it is made of the fat from the cocoa beans known as cocoa butter. White chocolate has a creamy consistency and taste. It lacks flavor because it contains no chocolate liquor which gives chocolate the bitter strong chocolate flavor. White chocolate is not normally used in cooking unless it is a replacement for dark or milk chocolate. It is used mainly for decorating. Dark chocolate is the healthiest type of chocolate. This chocolate contains a large amount of disease-fighting flavonoids, anti-oxidants also found in red wine and lots of different fruit and vegetables. Its anti-oxidants can significantly improve blood pressure, prevent blood clots, slow the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol making it less likely to stick to artery walls and also reduce inflammation. Eating dark chocolate can also lower insulin resistance, the main problem behind diabetes. Milk chocolate does not contain as much chocolate liquor as dark chocolate, which gives it a softer chocolate flavor. This chocolate is much sweeter than any other. It is the most popular type of chocolate. Milk chocolate is more difficult to temper properly and more prone to overheating which would make it thick and lumpy if it comes into contact with water. Milk chocolate can be used in pretty much anything you want to be sweet. The difference between regular chocolate and baking chocolate is baking chocolate has less sugar and no fat and its bitter while regular chocolate is sweet and sugary. Tempering means improving the consistency, durability or hardness of a substance by heating and cooling it. Tempering is done by melting solid chocolate to a temperature high enough that the crystals in the cocoa butter break down. Once the chocolate is fully melted, it must be cooled to about 82F, a temperature at which crystals will start to form again so that the chocolate can eventually re-solidify. The chocolate’s temperature is then raised back to about 90F, where it is very smooth and can be poured into chocolate molds and used for other things. White, milk and dark chocolate can be tempered. Tempered chocolate is very glossy, has a firm finish and melts smoothly at around body temperature. Chocolate that has not been tempered or that has been improperly tempered will look flat or discolored. Tempering can be done in 2 ways by hand, or through a process called seeding. Tempering by hand can be done by tabliering where melted chocolate is poured onto a cool marble surface and worked with spatulas until it has cooled down sufficiently. More melted chocolate is added back and incorporated in to the tabliered chocolate to bring it back to the final working temperature. Through the process of seeding, chocolate is melted and a small amount of finely chopped solid chocolate is added into the melted chocolate and stirred in. Adding solid chocolate will lower the temperature of the melted chocolate and it will start to temper the melted chocolate. When it comes to baking, chocolate does not need to be tempered because it is being incorporated into another form. Tempering chocolate is good for dipping foods, for a more clean finish.

PESTEL and SWOT Analysis of AstraZeneca pharmaceuticals

PESTEL and SWOT Analysis of AstraZeneca pharmaceuticals This is a report about entering a new market of AstraZeneca which is one of the worlds greatest pharmaceutical manufacturing companies. Being an international manager of this company, this report clearly shows the marketing plan of the company. 1.0 Introduction of AstraZeneca pharmaceuticals AstraZeneca pharmaceutical is a rapidly leading growing company that has branches in several countries. This company was formed on 6 April 1999 through the merger of Astra AB of Sweden and Zeneca Group PLC of the UK two companies with similar science-based cultures and a shared vision of the pharmaceutical industry. It is a company fully focused on single purpose, to enable the people life altering condition to live better lives. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases like cancer, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infection, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation. The motto of the company is to build a significant difference to patient throughout great medicines that bring do good to for patients and add value for stakeholders and society. Product market characteristics AstraZeneca is an innovative driven biopharmaceutical global business that supplies their products in more than 100 countries. In many countries, it manufactures the products while also export products to countries where they do not have manufacturing operations. With the aim to be success, AstraZeneca has developed flexible marketing strategies to market and distributes its products in local areas of emerging market. The company focuses the skills and resources in six important areas of health care. It discovers, develops, manufactures and markets prescription pharmaceutical on the areas which include cardiovascular, cancer, infection, gastrointestinal, respiratory and inflammation. AstraZeneca is providing medicines for these worlds serious diseases. Now a day, people of every country is suffering from different type of bacterial infection. The death rate in developing country due to inflectional diseases is also increasing due to lack of appropriate medicine. There is a high demand of antibiotic medicine around the world in developing countries as well as in developed countries. Performance of AstraZeneca The performance at AstraZeneca is committed to achieve the financial and strategic objectives at the same time as maintaining the core values as the number one priority in counting to bring the best products to market all over the world. Research and Development is a key competitive advantage for this company. Without RD AstraZeneca could not have become the global leading biopharmaceutical company. The revenue of the company in 2009 was increased by 7% as well as new emerging markets businesses grew strongly by 12% revenue in constant currency time. There was improved in efficiency throughout the organization and some extra gains within other income. Although company revenue growth is slowing down due to continuous pressure on healthcare costs and pricing as well as vast competition from generic medicines, the demand for health care will derive the company future growth remain strong. (AstraZeneca Annual report 2009) 2.0 International marketing planning According to McDonald, marketing planning is a structured way of identifying a range of options for the company, of making them explicit in writing, of formulating marketing objectives which are consistent with the companys overall objectives and of scheduling and costing out the specific activities most likely to bring about the achievement of the objectives.(L S Walsh, International Marketing, third edition) 2.1 Internal and External environment It is also needed to take into consideration those internal factors close to the unit that have a direct impact on the unit and AstraZeneca strategic marketing.   These will include:   CUSTOMERS   AstraZeneca survive on the basis of meeting the needs, wants and providing benefits for their customers. Failure to do so will result in a failed business strategy.    EMPLOYEE   Employing the correct staff and keeping these staff motivated is an essential part of the strategic planning process of a AstraZeneca. Training and development plays an essential role particular in service sector marketing in-order to gain a competitive edge. The success is due to the 62,000 people they employ in their businesses. SHAREHOLDERS   It is the responsibility of the AstraZeneca to meet the expectation of Shareholder and perception. This company is trying its best to fulfill its strategy so that they can meet shareholdersexpectation.   When dealing with the marketing environment it is important for a company to become proactive. By doing so, they can create the kind of environment that they will prosper in and can become more efficient by marketing in areas with the greatest customer potential. It is important to place equal emphasis on both the macro and microenvironment and to react accordingly to changes within them. External strategy The PEST analysis examines changes in the marketplace caused by Political, Economic, Social, Technological factors. Political is political change whether it be through the European Union or the UK, from one party to another in control. Economic influences are the level of interest rates and the level of inflation. Social change involves changing attitudes and lifestyles. Technological change creates opportunities to invest in new products cutting costs. Political factors The government can have a major influence on the eating out industry, as all laws are passed through parliament. The types of laws that can affect the eating out industry are, tariffs on imports, a possible raise in value added tax and new health and safety laws, and also there is the possible introduction of laws from the European Union. So government regulations and legal issues have a direct impact on the way AstraZeneca operates. In result of growing awareness of the environmental consequences, U.K Government is planning actions to ensure aviation reflects its environmental impacts. Proposals are emerging for a tax on aviation, fuel and VAT on air tickets. Governments taxation policies and decision about the increase in the petrol prices have affected the buying power of the individuals in U.K. All of the above can cause a rise in costs so prices may rise in order to pass the costs onto the consumer. Economical factors AstraZeneca is also affected by economical factors nationally and globally. Whether an Economy is in a boom, recession or recovery will also affect consumer confidence and behavior. Economic factors have affected the purchasing power of potential customers, and the state of the internal/external economy in the short and long-term. As a result the company needs to consider: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Economic growth à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Interest rates à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Inflation rate à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Budget allocation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The level of inflation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Employment level per capita   Interest rates are the lowest they have been for forty years and this affects the rate of consumer spending on goods and services. The rate of interest affects the economy through its influence on aggregate demand, the higher the rate of interest, the lower the rate of aggregate demand. A fall in interest rates usually means that assets rise in value; this means that consumers become wealthier. Social factors Social factors will include the demographic changes, trends in the way people live, work and think and cultural aspects of the macro environment. These factors affect customer needs and the size of potential market: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Population growth rate à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Age distribution à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Internal/external emphasis on safety à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Internal/external attitudes to change à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What is the stakeholder expectation of the unit?   Technological factors The complexities of achieving business success through increased efficiency, effectiveness and competitiveness, combined with innovative applications of modern technology, has heightened the awareness of both technology and business managers towards more strategically oriented approaches for planning and management of AstraZeneca. SWOT Factors SWOT factors refer to the strength, weaknesses, opportunity and threats of the company. The main strengths of AstraZeneca are its brands. It has an ability to deliver the potential of existing and future products through the power and reach of a combined global sales and marketing resources. It has a wide spread class coverage in key therapy area such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases due to complementary nature of product. It is focused on constantly developing new products to expectations. Since it is a global industry it is a member of many organisations all over the world. The world population has doubled in the last 50 years from three billion to over six billion and is expected to reach nine billion by 2050. In addition, the number of people who can access the highest standards of healthcare continues to increase, particularly among the elderly, who represent a rising proportion of populations in developed nations and continue to offer opportunities for the industry to supply an expanding number of patients who can benefit from medicines. Currently, the threat of new viable competitors in the global industry is not very substantial. The main rivals of the company are GlaxoSmithKline plc, Merck Co.Inc, Novartis AG. The threat of substitutes, however, is a very real threat. The UK, and especially London, has been a prime target of the religious fundamentalists and terrorist outfits. London and other cities in the UK have been frequently under high alert since9/11 in general and after the war in Iraq in particular. 2.3 Marketing goals and objectives The main objectives of the company is to be the worlds largest pharmaceuticals company and to build a significant difference to patient all the way through great medicines that bring do good to for patients and add value for stakeholders and society. Boosting efforts to source improvement from outside the company and working in partnerships across all aspects of RD to broaden the base for a success. Market analysis Now a day, people of every country is suffering from different type of bacterial infection. The death rate in developing country due to inflectional diseases is also increasing due to lack of appropriate medicine. The demand for health care is more in every country so the companys future is bright and growth remains strong. Population are increasing and people are living longer. There is a high demand of antibiotic medicine around the world in developing countries as well as in developed countries. Although this company has its market in different countries, there are more countries where this company can gain its market. So, I have a target to provide medicines for inflectional diseases in new market. Merrem/Meronem (meropenen) is an ultra broad spectrum injectable antibiotic for a wide variety of serious infections, including meningitis and pneumonia. To meet the goals of the company even though it has its market in more than 100 countries, being an international manager of the company I would like to enter into other new market. So, first of all I am going to research the business environment of the country. I have chosen four countries Singapore, Bangladesh, Sri lanka and New Zealand. By doing PEST analysis of these countries I would choose the best one for my new market. PEST ANALYSIS OF FOUR COUNTRIES Countries Political factors Economical factors Socio cultural factors Technological factors Demographic factors Singapore Political condition is stable as there is parliament republic ,English law is accepted Highly developed and free market economy and GDP rate is also higher than other developed countries. Mix of culture and education is the main instrument Excellent transportation, communication system Population is less than other three contries ,total area is 756950sqkm Bangladesh political condition is not stable, Poor economic condition due to recession Different types of languages and religions, health standard is improving Modern communication system and advanced road system 7th highest population in the world Sri lanka republic Developing country, estimated GDP growth rate is 3.5% Various languages and religion, multi ethnic countries Sophisticated transportation communication services Population is estimated 20,238,000 New Zealand Free market economy, can compete globally Modern, Prosperous and high standard of living Rich in culture, different religious Excellent technological factors services Population is 43677000. Source: Wikipedia of all countries According to PEST analysis, I found New Zealand and Singapore are the strong country than Bangladesh and Sri lanka in every aspect. Among these two countries I am going to choose New Zealand for new market for my product. New Zealand is one of the prosperous and high living standard countries. Political environment is stable so there is no difficulty for the businesses. Since 99% of people are educated they are aware about their health and they demand for better healthcare. The average life expectancy is 80 years, as people live longer they suffer from different diseases. 3.0 Market Entry Strategy There are different methods of entering an overseas market. Expansion of business into international market can be done through following mechanisms which are discussed below. Export Joint Venture (franchising, licensing) Foreign Direct Investment Export: It is a traditional and well established method of market entry to foreign markets. This method is less expensive as we dont have to establish new company in other market but have to find distributor for my product. Joint venture: In this type the two or more companies in different countries agree to perform the business and share the profit and bear the losses. Nowadays this method is famous as there is low risk and burden is divided. Joint venture can be done in two ways: licensing and franchising Licensing: It is a wide range of agreements relating to the sale or leasing of industrial or commercial expertise by one party to other in returns for valuable considerations. Franchising: it is a form of licensing by which the franchiser provides a standard package of components or ingredients together with management and marketing services. The franchisee provides capital, market knowledge and personal involvement. Foreign Direct Investment: It is the direct ownership of facilities in the targeted country. It is the 100%investment in that country. It can be done by acquisition of existing company in the targeted country. Advantages and disadvantages of market entry methods Methods Advantages disadvantages Export Less expensive, minimize investment, efficiency as there is speed entry. Limits access to local information and market, transportation cost may be high, risk of exchange rate of currency joint venture Low risk, less investment required, overcomes ownership and cultural distances Conflict between two parties, differences in cultures and management styles Foreign direct investment Greater knowledge of the market, 100% control, gives the company fully protection Higher risk than other methods, lack of managerial skills as well as ,expensive, 4.0 Implementing marketing plan ps Product Price Place promotion .

Inferno as a Manifestation of the Pain of Dante Alighieri Essay

Inferno as a Manifestation of the Pain of Dante Alighieri Dante's "Inferno" was a great epic poem of the early Renaissance. It was known for its astute commentary on political and religious levels, both deeply woven into the work through allegory. "Inferno," written in 1314 by Dante Alighieri, was the first canticle of the "Divine Comedy." Dante called it a comedy both because of its happy ending and its style, "which lies between that of the tragedy and that of the elegy."(Vossler, 665) Although most respected writers of the time wrote in Latin, Dante wrote the "Divine Comedy" in the vernacular Italian language so that the common man could read it. The fact that this masterpiece was written in the vernacular helped elevate Italian as the written language of their new age. From the misery and corruption surrounding him in his beloved Florence, he wrote the comedy because he wished to show the path to goodness, the salvation of the human soul "guided by both reason and divine grace."(Vossler, 665) Dante intended the work to be read on three levels: literal, allegorical, and moral. The work was structurally written in eleven syllable lines grouped in threes to make interlocking tercets. The rhyme scheme that he created f!or this is called "terza rima"(Vossler, 664), which forms the words in the pattern aba-bcb-cdc-ded and so on. These are grouped into conceptual units of 150 lines each, called cantos. The entire "Divine Comedy" has one hundred cantos, consisting of one introductory canto and three "principal divisions"(Vossler, 664) or canticles of thirty-three cantos each. In the spring of 1265 Dante was born to a modest noble Florentine family called Alighieri. Even though they were nobles, the family had lost its riches and high social stature through the generations. His mother died when he was young and his father is not often mentioned. He received a careful education, although little of it is known precisely. His family's modest social standing did not prevent him from pursuing his studies. Dante probably studied rhetoric with the scholar Brunetto Latini, from whom he says that he learned "how a man becomes eternal"(Inferno XV line 85). As a young man, Dante largely taught himself how to write verse, but he also studied with the great troubadours of Florence, writing to them and circulating his own love lyrics. In 1295 he began an active ... ... lines 52-53). The most treacherous crime Dante accuses Boniface of comes out of the mouth of another damned soul. Directly saying the pope had sinned was not a wise thing to do, one could be called a heretic and be killed. This poor spirit, Guido, was a soldier whose duty was to militarily advise Boniface when he broke into war with the Colonna family in 1297. Guido was very ill towards Boniface, saying, "But for the High Priest - may he rot in Hell!"(Inferno XXVII line 70). He says about Boniface that "he, the Prince of modern Pharisees,/ Having a war to wage by Lateran -/ Not against Jews, nor Muslim enemies,/ Every foe he had was a Christian,"(Inferno XXVII lines 85-88). Guido charges the pope with waging war not against Jews or Muslims, but other Christians. "Inferno" was a manifestation of the frustration and pain Dante must have felt from the political and religious events of his day that exiled him from the city he so loved. Although Dante's journey took him through the depths of hell and expressed Christian beliefs about the afterlife, his thoughts were secular as he condemned one religious leader after another to the depths of the hell they had created for him.

Defenses for Democracy Essay -- Papers Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Defenses for Democracy Is liberty a bad thing? Socrates seemed to think so. In Book VIII of Plato's Republic, Socrates criticizes democracy by attacking three of its most important aspects: liberty, equality, and majority rule. He asserts that because of these things, a democratic city will always fall into tyranny. I disagree, and feel that all three of the principles are essential to a fair and just city, and only in their absence can a city be taken into tyranny. Socrates begins his observations on the defects of a democratic government by first attacking liberty. His main argument is that there is entirely too much of it. People in a democracy are free to do what they wish in their lives and are free to chose what if any job they will do. Socrates asks if, like the man with the democratic soul, they will not just pass the time and not get much done (Plato, 557e). This may be true, but people who do not work do not eat. In Socrates city, much like in a communist regime, all of the people in a city are responsible for the common good of all of the other members of their city. A man who does nothing would truly be a burden on this society, but unlike in Socrates city, or a communist state, in a capitalist democracy people are responsible for their own survival, and a man must work if he is to have a food, shelter, and all of the other necessities of life. When describing his just city, Socrates was very much in favor of specialization of labor (Plato, 367e-372b), so for a man to try many things would go against his concept of what belongs in a good city. But Shouldn?t one try one?s hand at many tasks until one find a job that best fulfills one?s soul? In Alienated Labor, Ka... ...ey would still be in existence today. Bibliography: Davis, Michael. The Politics of Philosophy. London: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1996 Hamilton, Alexander. Constitutional Convention Address. Constitutional Convention, Philadelphia. 29 Jul. 1787 Durant, Will. The Story of Philosophy. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1961 Guigon, Charles, ed. The Good Life. Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, 1999 Kennedy, John F. Speech at San Diego State College. San Diego State College, San Diego. 06 Jun. 1963 Macaulay, Thomas Babbington Ed. Scott, Allan. The Works of Thomas Babbington Macaulay. London: Wordsworth Poetry Library, 1995 Marx, Karl. Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts. Germany: 1844 Plato, Ed. Allan Bloom. Republic. USA: Basic Books, 1991 Spooner, Lysander. An Essay on the Trial By Jury. London: 1852

Contemporary Aboriginal Issues Essay -- essays research papers

Contemporary Aboriginal Issues Assignment 3- Essay Topic 3: Discuss the political struggle for recognition of indigenous rights to land. In your answer, consider the benefits and limitations of the Native Title Act and recent United Nations criticisms of the current Act. For years we have witnessed the Indigenous population’s political struggle for recognition of rights to Australian land. At times the effort appears to be endless and achieving recognition almost seems impossible. Native Title and Land claims have become a step closer in achieving this recognition; however, for land rights to exist in an absolute form, they cannot exist as a mere Act of Parliament but must form a fundamental part of the Australian Constitution. This seemingly gigantic task is part of the incessant political struggle that the Indigenous population will continue to face. The United Nation’s is an integral part of the political struggle between the Australian government and the Indigenous people and have on many occasions fought to raise the issue of human rights violation within the Australian constitution. When Captain Cook arrived in 1788 and the colonisation of Australia began, the Indigenous people of Australia struggled and fought to protect their country from infringement, theft and violation. The Indigenous people were faced with a dominant military force and an extremely different view of the world. Over one hundred years ago, the colonists understood this land to be open for the taking and the rightful first owners were treated as intruders on their own land. In 1901 the commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed and a supposedly new era was to occur for this â€Å"lucky country† and its inhabitants. http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2001/433/433pl6.htm However, for Indigenous Australians, this year marked a 113 years of resistance, removal, withdrawal and dispossession. Over one hundred years later, the Native Title act is passed and Indigenous Australian’s continue their political struggle for land rights Land rights are defined as the entitlement to inhabit and use the land. Indigenous Australian communities seek to gain land rights or â€Å"Native Title† over certain parts of Australian land. This allows the Indigenous Australians the right to hunt, fish and inhabit the land and also gives them the right to contribute to decisions over construction, fishing or mining of... .../land_rights/australia/land_rights_in_australia.htm Accessed on 1st June, 3rd June 2005 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Native Title Corporations: A Legal and Anthropological Analysis http://www.federationpress.com.au/Books/MantziarisMartin.htm Accessed on 2nd June 2005 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Social Justice Commissioner Native Title Report 2001, Summary of Native Title Report 2001 http://www.hreoc.gov.au/social_justice/ntreport_01/summary.html Accessed on 1st June 2005 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Native Title Act case: Indigenous Australia vs. Commonwealth http://www.ags.gov.au/publications/agspubs/legalpubs/legalbriefings/br20.htm Accessed on 2nd June, 3rd June 2005 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Amnesty International: Australia- governments dismissal of UN criticism undermines hard earned credibility in human rights diplomacy. http://www.faira.org.au/pressreleases/1999/03/amnesty-international.html Accessed on 1st June 2005 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Australia silent on UN racism committee condemnation http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Australia_silent_on_UN-racism_committee_condemtation Accessed on 7th June 2005

Life and Money Essay

1. Naturally, money is a decisive factor in the career of a man so, nobody can deny its important role and its value his daily activities – What we would like to discuss here is to what extent money is valuable and whether it has an absolute power or more simply speaking, whether it is a key which can open every door as some people think. 2. It’s not true that money has its value only in our modern society – It may be that money varies in form in different ages but its value is generally accepted in every period of time, every country in the world. – Ever since people knew how to live together in a community and then a society, the relation among people has become quite complicated – The needs of man are of great variety – Something is needed for the purchase of what one needs and sells one’s surplus goods. Money has come into existence as a natural consequence. 3. The problem which several people usually wonder is whether you can buy everything with money. The reply to the question is naturally not difficult at all. Through his daily experience, everybody knows that without money, you will have nothing. To poor people, money enables them to buy the things extremely necessary for their lives. As for a college student, money will provide him with more opportunities for his further studies. In several countries, going to college is really a problem. – Besides his necessary abilities, he certainly possesses some money- with people whose material life has relatively been settled, money will enable them to have the luxurious things which make their life more comfortable. Money, therefore, has its great value to every walk of life. However, we all admit that money doesn’t have an absolute power or as a writer put it, â€Å"Money does not talk as loudly as some people think†. This means, with money, you can solve lots of the problems you want but, in some cases, money becomes powerless – It isn’t of much help to you and sometimes it even causes lots of trouble to you. 4. A man, however rich he may be, can do nothing but wait for death once he suffers from a dreadful disease and once the most prominent doctors have to give it up. Money then, becomes useless to him. Another famous writer also said, â€Å"You enter the world without a penny and you live it the same way. † 5. In short, money does have some value but it doesn’t have any absolute power. Therefore, the problem is how we should use our money so that it is both useful to us and to the society – A rich man can bring nothing with him at his death but he can leave his good reputation if, in his lifetime, he has used his money to relieve the suffering of others.

Book Review – a Matter of Principle

A Review of Conrad Black’s A Matter of Principle Conrad Moffat Black, former newspaper tycoon, historian and celebrity is an interesting man, to say the least. The topic of his fall from professional, financial and social grace is legendary and is one that still elicits numerous newspaper columns and debates. The latest matter of interest in his lengthy protracted battle is his extraordinary memoir, A Matter of Principle. Written largely from his prison cell in Coleman Federal Correction Complex in Florida, the book is a compelling narrative of his tribulations.With his command of the English language, Lord Black is at once strikingly eloquent, acidly cynical, ferociously angry, and surprisingly funny. However, the book teeters at the edge of being nothing more than a self-glorified memoir, laced with attacks on detractors. In the first three chapters of the book, Black charts his illustrious newspaper career, beginning from U. K. ’s Telegraph to his crowning achievemen t – National Post. And in between his tales of rubbing shoulders with the powerful, he offers his take on world affairs, yet almost ironically maintains that he has never exercised his power to sway public policy.He also spares a page-and-half to rant on Jean Chretien for opposing his proposed dual citizenship (Black was to be inducted into the British House of Lords). Near the end of Chapter three, the readers are also introduced to some of Black’s questionable activities – the sale of Hollinger Inc. ’s newspaper properties to CanWest, and the resultant non-compete payments. Chapter four marks the beginning of Black’s misfortune as he describes the investigation by Hollinger’s audit committee into the company’s funds.The Hollinger board, summarized by Black in painfully boring detail, ultimately dismisses him as CEO and charges him of accepting unauthorized non-compete payments from companies buying newspapers from Hollinger. The nex t three chapters explore Black’s tarnished public image and dwindling personal wealth as he is relieved of all directorships and is permanently ousted from Hollinger International. In Chapter 7, Black is charged with new S. E. C. civil infractions following the release of â€Å"A Corporate Kleptocracy†, a report (by Richard Breeeden) on Hollinger’s practices. The momentum picks up again at the conclusion of chapter 9, asBlack recounts being secretly videotaped while clearing out his Toronto offices; his actions land him with charges of obstruction of justice. Over the next four chapters, Black recounts his trial process and ends his story with the final hearing in Chicago that found him guilty. One of the first weaknesses a keen reader will spot is that Black struggles to find an appropriate voice in the two hundred pages of the book. He attempts at a conversational tone, but comes off as oddly detached. The lack of a definitive theme is also due to Blackâ€℠¢s breezy narrative that dashes from one key life event to the next.He jumps from his university days, to advising the Prime Minister of Britain, to the 1996 London bombings. Though enjoyable, these are only longing reminiscences of an imprisoned man, rather than key elements of his harrowing journey that forms the remainder of the book. In fact, it is only in page 269 that readers see Black defending the principles he alludes to in the book’s title. That being said, these sundry recollections offer readers a respite from detailed corporate machinations, which are also present in the first two hundred pages of the book.Black risks losing his readers when he delves into corporate debt reorganizations and share buy-backs that are both boring and confusing to the non-business mind. Hence, the narrative remains almost disjointed in the first third of the book, until Black is stripped of his title at Hollinger International, setting in motion the events that form the bulk of the b ook. The biggest flaw in the book is Black’s unmistakable bias, as he categorizes individuals based on their stance on his guilt or innocence; those who believe in his innocence are virtuous, while those convinced of his guild are either wrong or misguided.In his own words â€Å"no one except me was telling the truth, but it wasn’t clear who was lying and who was merely mistaken. † Similarly, when court decisions go against him they are hopelessly wrong and indicative of the flaws of the judicial system, but when a decision is made in his favour, it is absolutely correct and undisputed. While it is obvious that the prosecution and conviction of Black is the prism through which the story is told, it becomes tiresome when the readers are incessantly conditioned to view Black as the lone voice of truth in the midst of the deceit and lies.Moreover, the means and the extent to which Black denounces his opponents, perceived or real can be quite off-putting. In Blackâ €™s story, his greatest villains are Richard Breeden and David Radler. Breeden was the former chair of the S. E. C and the man behind the â€Å"Corporate Kleptocracy† report that resulted in Black’s criminal charges. Black’s attack on Breeden is quite spiteful; Black describes him as â€Å"Round, flabby face; dull, lifeless eyes behind thick spectacles†¦with the bloodless, piscine coldness of someone whose power vastly exceeded his intelligence. Radler was a long-time associate of Black’s who made a plea bargain with American prosecutors in exchange for providing evidence against Black. On Radler, he says â€Å"It was naturally a very strange experience listening to his false incrimination of me but also seeing his squinty, evasive eyes†¦he looked like a man bound for the gallows, worn down as much by a knowledge of his own wretchedness as by the impending punishment† Expectably, Black’s acid remarks are not just for Breeden a nd Radler; he slams all those involved in his downfall. On Paul Healy, Hollinger’s V.P. of investor relations, Black says â€Å"he had a little porcine face so puffy it made his spectacles seem smaller†¦ a maladjusted, scheming courtier, alternately fawning and snarling at the hand that fed him for so long. † Black specifically saves a lot of firepower on Eddie Greenspan, his lead defence attorney who fizzled in American courts; he says â€Å"The deterioration of such a man is objectively sad, and is made more so by the inelegance of his acts of denial and displacement of responsibility for his own shortcomings and aggressive paranoia. On the jury that convicted him, he says, â€Å"I was unprepared for such a procession of mainly monosyllabic and listless people. † Such vilifying attacks are a few of many examples of Black’s verbal war on his critics. While his anger towards his critics is understandable, what is frustrating is his tendency to engag e in baseless reporting. For instance, he declares that twenty percent of his fellow inmates were entirely innocent, a number seemingly plucked solely based on his conversations with his fellow inmates.Also according to him, the U. S. government fills its prison system with unemployed visible minorities in order to keep unemployment rate down. Black risks losing his already damaged credibility with such uncorroborated statements. For all of the book’s weaknesses, Black redeems himself, at least partially, with his superb prose and infectious ardour. The book is a delectable read simply based on its literary merits. Some paragraphs are worth rereading just to be admired as works of art.The paragraphs in which he expresses his love and loyalty for his wife, his late brother or even deceased friends are quite moving and stand out as great examples of his powerful prose. Indeed, in the hands of a less assured writer, the story of Black’s clash with his opponents would have been a bombastic mess, but after his initial struggles Black offers a gripping tale of his  ordeal. When Black’s passion for defending his honour is coupled with his mastery of the language, what you get is a riveting experience.The broad ethical issues raised in A Matter of Principle revolve around the integrity of senior executives and ethical corruption. Black’s case is as much about breaking the law as it is getting entangled in ethical gray areas. Tweedy Browne, a U. S investment firm that owned 18% of Hollinger International accused Black and other directors of awarding themselves with unauthorized management payments and millions of dollars of non-competition fees through Ravelston, Black’s personal equity company.Black was ultimately found guilty of a slew of charges including fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice. Given that Black has penned the book himself, he defends his actions vehemently. He maintains that the Audit Committee explic itly approved the non-competition payments (totalling $80 million). On the management fees, he states that â€Å"the total of what we received had been sharply reduced when we shrank the company. † Overall, the ethical issues in the book highlight the importance of fiduciary duty – the duty of a senior executive to the shareholders of the company.The book also highlights the power of intelligent shareholder activism, as practiced by Tweedy Browne, which ultimately resulted in Black’s downfall. Ultimately, A Matter of Principle is a powerful read. While the book is bogged down with bilious attacks against Black’s critics, it packs a powerful punch. Black’s eloquence in describing the viciousness of the prosecutorial efforts and the harshness of his punishment is breathtaking. His continued insistence on his honesty and innocence is also admirable.His intention with this book does not seem to be to sway readers’ opinions, but rather to settle accounts. Whether he has achieved this or not, one this is for sure, Conrad Black’s story will not fade from memory for many years to come. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. (pg. 46-90), A Matter of Principle [ 2 ]. (pg. 182-198) [ 3 ]. (pg. 142) [ 4 ]. (pg. 135) [ 5 ]. (pg. 392) [ 6 ]. (pg. 401) [ 7 ]. (pg. 418) [ 8 ]. (pg. 277) [ 9 ]. (pg. 465) [ 10 ]. (pg. 514) [ 11 ]. (pg. 146) [ 12 ]. (pg. 96) [ 13 ]. (pg. 97)