For rich and poor in Russia Essay Example for Free

For rich and poor in Russia Essay I leaned my back on my big black chair. The cushion, now deep and saggy, still feels comfortable. It has been ten long years of sitting on the same chair yet I can still feel its soft leather and now dilapidated covers. This high-back chair has been with me since day one. It surely has witnessed countless heated arguments with my staff, serious conversations with directors, even termination scenes with employees. Today, as I am about to make the biggest decision for the company, the chair will once more bear witness to my decision-making. So I reached for the topmost document from a pile of white papers on my desk. This was from yesterday’s presentation. It read, â€Å"Strategy for Expansion,† with bold letters that seemed to be screaming at me. Yes, after ten long years of doing business, we have finally decided to widen our horizons and look for other markets to tap into. I stretched my feet under the table, putting back the document I sighed and asked myself, â€Å"Are we ready to do this? † â€Å"Sir, everyone is waiting for you in the boardroom,† my secretary interrupted. This is just one of the vivid scenes recurring to me whenever I think about my future career. Indeed I aspire to sit on the manager’s chair of a successful company in my home country of Russia. Yet the road towards that aspiration is long and bumpy, not to mention competitive and challenging especially in today’s business world. As this is the case, I deem that I need top-notch and excellent education and rigid practical training from a prestigious educational institution. Hence, I have chosen the European School of Economics to major in International Business. Primarily, I regard that an international learning environment offered by ESE is crucial in today’s competitive business world so as to prepare and train me in building a career in business especially in this time of globalization. Since ESE is home to students of different nationalities and allows free movement between the centers in London, New York, Rome, Milan, and Florence, I am certain to experience a dynamic, interesting, and challenging academic environment necessary in today’s competitive atmosphere of business. ESE will further hone my skills and strengthen my knowledge in preparation for my entry into the global marketplace by providing practical training or real-life application of business theories and perspectives through exposure and involvement in creating strategic plans, managing international projects, and addressing various challenges in today’s global business environment. Evidence of ESE’s capacity to do this is the myriad of graduates who are the movers and shakers in the business field occupying positions in management, organizational operations, marketing, and customer care, among others. Another testament to ESE’s ability to educate me excellently are the recognitions it has received. In fact, ESE programs have been validated by the highest ranked university by British students and the only independent university in the United Kingdom, the University of Buckingham. It is also accredited by the British Accreditation Council. Furthermore, I have been drawn to ESE’s philosophy of not just assisting students in choosing a career that suits them but more so encouraging them to fulfill their goals by chasing their dreams and doing what they love. This kind of encouraging environment will definitely ease the stress and pressures attached with higher education, not to mention bring fun and active spirit amidst academic requirements. Moreover, another significant factor in choosing ESE is its revered internship program. Since the school has established relationships with successful global companies, I am guaranteed to gain the needed exposure and adequate training necessary before entering the real business world. Particularly in my chosen major where I will be exposed to three internship placements, I will have the opportunity to explore which field I may be good at, to assess my own skills for future practice, and to earn the trust and confidence of employers for future employment options. Above all, I have chosen ESE, particularly the Bachelor’s Degree in International Business because of the quality of education that I will receive should I be accepted in the said program. Included in this quality education are the analytical and critical thinking skills that I will acquire, which will aid me in future organizational decisions. Furthermore, the kind of learning I will gain in the said program will give me a deep comprehension of the global business environment and the different factors that influence investment, trade, and the economy, thereby allowing me to come up with strategic business plans in the future. In addition, an ESE education will further strengthen my communication skills crucial in local and international business transactions and dealings as well as develop my creativity and flexibility in responding to various challenges that face the business environment. Because of all these qualities, I aspire to be one of the students to be educated with an ESE education. However, this education will not just be for me but for my country as well. As a Russian native, I have seen the widening gap between the rich and the poor. Though everyone seems to be climbing up the ladder of economic progress, the rich people continue to become richer very quickly and as a result, the gap continues to expand (Arvedlund, 2005). Hence, as someone with business and economic knowledge, I dream of working in an area where I can help bridge this gap – the supermarket industry. In 2001, it was only forecasted that supermarkets will gain momentum in Russia as the demand for food caused by the increasing purchasing power of Russians skyrocketed. In the past though, supermarkets were known to be exclusively high-income shopping places while outside markets are pictures of low and middle class shopping (Kozlov, 2001). While supermarkets provide all the conveniences of shopping, the prices of goods are high; while local stores’ prices are low, the quality of products is poor. Moreover, it was reported in 2008 that foreign supermarkets are beginning to expand their markets by establishing outlets in Russia, particularly in Moscow. Majority of these supermarket giants have been household names in developed nations. Their goal is to target consumers with a growing dispensable income by combining high quality products and low prices (Bentley, 2008). However, what I am aiming for is an all original Russian supermarket merging the features of a supermarket and a local store. My long-term professional dream is to establish a chain of supermarkets characterized by high standard goods, convenient shopping, low prices, and authentically Russian ambiance, where everyone regardless of income can enjoy shopping. After some time when the company has been established and have enough profits to sustain the business and even to venture out in other endeavors, we will expand to include charity work in our goals. This social responsibility is one aspect that many Russian companies seem to neglect. Hence, this dream will somehow decrease the gap between the rich and the poor and in a way support the less-fortunate to climb up the economic ladder quickly. Moreover, it is this very dream that inspired me to pursue a career in business; majoring in International Business in ESE is the first step towards this. Indeed the primary role of businesses, whether small, medium, or large, and local or international, is to create products and services and sell these to communities to gain profit for wealth creation in society (International Organization of Employers, 2005). How to effectively and efficiently achieve this purpose is what aspiring businessmen like me wish to study and master. The principles of marketing, various business methods, economics, business law and ethical practice, management and organization, and finance – these are just few elements that businesses need to take into consideration on their way to making profit. Yet beyond money matters, businesses have ventured out to include social responsibility and accountability to community as part of their strategy. For instance, businesses have sought to advance the quality of life like McDonald’s advocating for animal welfare, education of youth, clean environment, and charitable efforts (McDonalds, 2010). Moreover, businesses have also used their resources to embed social responsibility in their goods and services as in Vodafone’s Mpesa program in Kenya that enables people to do mobile banking and the content-filtering system the company incorporated for parents and children’s protection (Demos, 2006). If these companies successfully accomplished these endeavors, then it will not be impossible for the others to follow suit. Hence, I aim to do just that in my future business. To do this, I will apply my experience in interacting with different types of culture that I gained from living in several countries. Likewise, I will use my skills in developing relationships and working in groups to expand my business, develop ethical approaches in doing business, and incorporate charitable programs that will foster a symbiotic relationship between my business and the community or society. Since there are problems ahead, the analytical knowledge that business education will equip will come in handy. Nonetheless, this analytical approach will not only be applicable within the bounds of business but outside the business world as well. For instance, the lessons learned from economics, finance, and marketing will enable me to become an intelligent consumer. Moreover, the values taught by management and organization will help me manage my time and organize my schedule. In addition, the values acquired from business law and ethics will support my personal judgment and decisions in life and at work. Needless to say, I am fit to achieve all these through an ESE education because I am a hard worker and a leader. Testament to this is my experience working in the marketing department of a shoe company. Though a greenhorn, I was immediately tasked to handle the marketing plan for the newest line of rubber shoes. Together with the team, I looked into previous plans from the department and examined the core values of the company. I then gathered them and brainstormed on what marketing strategy would be best for the new shoe line. I assigned each member a task that includes researching the marketing environment, reviewing past marketing activities, studying the company’s marketing system, and devising methods to analyze marketing plan’s effectiveness. With all our inputs, we were able to come up with a solid strategy, which the company used to introduce the new product to the market. From this work experience, I showcased my leadership and management abilities to produce good results. I was also able to display responsibility, meticulousness, organization, and ability to work well with others to ensure that the task assigned to me was smooth sailing from beginning to end. All these qualities will come in handy in the real global competitive business world. Nonetheless, my life is not all work and business. I also use my time doing fun activities such as swimming and yoga, both of which ease my mind from the pressures of school, work, and personal life. In my spare time, I read books and newspapers. I find current events, politics, history, and business the most interesting topics to read about as they give me awareness of past and present events that shape people and ultimately influence their decisions and actions. Furthermore, I also devote my time in volunteer work. In fact, I was recently in Tijuana, Mexico to help build houses for homeless families in the said area and also in the reservation in Taos, New Mexico to immerse myself in the Pueblo culture together with Pueblo school children. I have likewise participated in the Walk to Cure Diabetes in San Francisco, CA for a number of times. The said experiences deepened my understanding of different kinds of people and made me appreciate life more. They also inspired me to do more for the community and society as there are many people who need help, care, and attention. Therefore, in the future, I wish to extend my hand to the underprivileged and unnoticed sectors of society. Before doing this though, I wish to earn my master’s degree to strengthen the undergraduate education I will acquire. This way, my dream of establishing and managing a solely Russian-based company will be easier to achieve. Additionally, earning a master’s degree will make me a more effective leader and manager bringing a Western style of conducting business, which I believe is more efficient when applied in the Russian environment. The higher degree will also strengthen the knowledge and skills I gained from studying in various parts of the world and from interacting with different cultures in bringing a global and efficient approach to the company and in promoting charity and community work as an integral component in today’s business world. So I stared at my secretary for a couple of minutes and then she said, â€Å"Sir, is there something wrong? Everyone is waiting.. † I did not let her finish and instead I asked, â€Å"Do you think it is time for me to buy a new chair? † â€Å"I most certainly think so, Sir. † With that, I already know what decision to deliver in the boardroom. References Arvedlund, E. E. (2005). For rich and poor in Russia, gap widens. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2005/04/26/business/worldbusiness/26iht-ruble. html? _r=2 Bentley, E. (2008). Supermarket giants check out Russia. The Moscow News. Retrieved from http://www. mn. ru/business/20080904/55345070. html Demos, T. (2006). Beyond the bottom line: Our second annual ranking of Global 500 companies. CNN. Retrieved from http://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391850/index. htm International Organization of Employers. (2005). The role of business within society: Position paper. Geneva: International Organization of Employers. 1-10. Kozlov, V. (2001). Supermarkets gain momentum in Moscow. The Russia Journal. Retrieved from http://www. russiajournal. com/node/5018 McDonalds. (2010). Values in action. Retrieved from http://www. mcdonalds. com/us/en/our_story/values_in_action. html

The Tragedy of Othello :: Essays Papers

The Tragedy of Othello William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, from the sixteenth century is an excellent example of Renaissance humanism. â€Å"A poet of unparalleled genius, Shakespeare emerged during the golden age of England under the rule of Elizabeth I.†(Fiero 3:98) He produced comedies, tragedies, romances and histories. According to Webster’s pocket dictionary, a tragedy is defined as a form of drama in which the protagonist comes to a disaster, as through a flaw in character, and in which the ending is usually marked by pity or sorrow. I would like to concentrate on the character Iago and the theme of deceit. We see humanism in all of Shakespeare’s characters. He does not judge or label them but rather gave them each strengths, weaknesses, and flaws. â€Å"Shakespeare transforms these figures into complex personalities, allowing them full freedom to falter and fail through their own actions.†(3:100) The play consisted of human interaction especially in the case of the character Iago, who is the personification of evil. Shakespeare also introduced the hero, Othello, as a black man, which is not stereotypical for that time. Each character makes their own decisions and has their own flaws, which is very humanistic. Shakespeare’s use of tragedy shows, â€Å"†¦in a universe in which order and disorder coexist, human choices play a vital and potentially destructive part.†(3:100) Shakespeare develops the character Iago into an instigator and evil man. Iago attempts and succeeds to convince Othello that his wife has had an affair with his friend Cassio. We see Iago beginning his plans at the very start of the play. â€Å"But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at, I am not what I am.†(Oth 1:1:64-65) He immediately tries to start trouble with Brabantio and Othello over the marriage to Desdemona. Iago want to get in Othello’s way because he was passed over for general and Cassio was chosen instead. We see from the start how he plots against Othello and he involves several characters in his plans. â€Å"And what’s he then that says I play the villain? When this advice is free. I give and honest, probal to thinking, and indeed the course to win the Moor again? For tis easy Th’ inclining Desdemona to subdue in any honest suit; she’s framed as fruitful†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (2:3:295-300).

Bartolome de las Casas’s Destruction of the Indies Essay

Bartolomà © de las Casas was a Spanish historian and a social reformer who was writing in the 16th century, during the time of the Spanish occupation of the Indies. In A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Casas provides a scathing commentary on the cruelty exercised by the Spanish colonizers on the natives of Hispaniola—as well as explain the aims that motivated this behavior. The account acts as not only an observation on the practices of the colonizers, but is also a reflection of the imperial policies of the Spanish Empire. Through writing A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Casas aims at bringing the Spanish Crown’s attention to the atrocities committed by the citizens of the empire on the natives. In keeping with that aim, he utilizes a rhetoric that seeks to arouse the sympathy of his readers towards the natives and a sense of horror over how they are being treated. Right from the beginning of the account, in the preface, he paints an i mage of the natives as being simple, and harmless. He describes them as, â€Å"the simplest people in the world†¦they are without malice or guilt†¦never quarrelsome or belligerent or boisterous, they harbour no grudges†¦indeed the notions of revenge, rancour and hatred are quite foreign to them†. In contrast to that, he describes the Spaniards as â€Å"ravening wolves† who fell upon the natives like â€Å"tigers or savage lions who had not eaten meat for days .â€Å" Casas sets up a comparison between the helplessness of the natives and the savagery of the Spaniards, and this comparison holds throughout the document. Examples of this comparison are in the frequent accounts he gives of the before and after native population levels once the Spanish occupy an area—â€Å"when the Spanish first journeyed here, the indigenous population of the island of Hispaniola stood at some three million; today only two hundred survive† or â€Å"not a living soul remains today on any of the islands of the Bahamas.† Casas uses concrete numbers in describing the decline in the population level, in the number deaths—he does this as a means of stressing the official nature of the document, to lend it a sense authority. These numbers also help in giving his reade rs a very clear idea of the terrifying extent of the Spanish cruelty. He enumerates the different ways through which the locals are being exterminated, which gives a fair idea of the general colonial practices in the Indies— through â€Å"forcible expatriation†, â€Å"unjust†¦tyrannical war,† working the natives to the  point of death—Casas gives an example of a man who worked the natives under him so hard that within a month, out of three hundred, only thirty survived. More importantly, Casas reveals the motives behind the widespread cruelty as being simple, materialistic greed. He explains that the greed for the gold that the natives have is the driving force behind the actions of the Spanish. The one instance that effectively reflects this fanatical greed is of the local lord who makes an offering of nine thousand castilians to the Spanish and is still seized and tortured for more gold—â€Å"tying him in a sitting position to a stake set in the ground, lit a fire under his outstretched feet to induce him to hand over yet more gold†¦when he produced no further gold, they carried on until all the marrow ran out through the soles of his feet.† What is worth noting is that Casas when first talking about this greed, refers to the Spanish as Christians—â€Å"the reason the Christians have murdered on such a vast scale and killed anyone and everyone in their way is purely and simply greed.† Casas obviously uses the term â€Å"Christian† ironically to draw attention to the un-Christian behavior that the Spanish are displaying in the colonies. Casas was the Bishop of Chiapas. He was a clerical man, and so his primary concern was the un-Christian activities that were taking place in the colonies. He exclaims that the colonizers have â€Å"little concern over their [natives] souls as for their bodies, all the millions that have perished, having gone to their deaths with no knowledge of God.† This clearly defines exactly what A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies as a text is—it is not a text that is arguing for equal rights, it is instead a text that shows the priorities and concerns of a man living under the Spanish Empire at the time. Casas views the natives not as people equal to the Spaniards, but as potential Christians. He describes them as being, â€Å"innocent and pure in mind and have a lively intelligence, all of which makes them particularly receptive to learning and understanding the truths of our Catholic faith and to being instructed in virtue.† Casas is outraged because the Spanish policy of â€Å"conversion a nd saving of souls as first priority† was not being followed. Instead, it was being used as an excuse—â€Å"The gulf that yawns between theory and practice has meant that, in fact, the’ local people have been presented with an ultimatum: either they adopt the Christian religion and swear allegiance to the Crown of Castile, or they will find themselves faced with  military action.† He describes how the Spanish would unnecessarily pillage an area, but would essentially be within their legal rights as they would make sure that they presented the natives with the royal ultimatum. Casas’ account is a good reflection of the general imperial policy of expansion of the Spanish Empire. The Spanish Empire used religion as a tool to further its aims—the Spanish Inquisition, for example, was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella as a way of increasing their political authority via religion and to suppress any tension that may arise from social and cultural differences. While the activities of the colonizers wasn’t the same as the inquisition, as Casas points out, the Spanish in the colonies were using religion in a similar way. Therefore, Casas’A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies gives important insight into the practices of the Spanish Empire. It also presents an interesting perspective from someone who is a part and within the empire—who is aware and recognizes the malpractices of the Crown and more importantly, is attempting to do something to put a stop to it. It’s also important that the way he goes about this, is through literature—it shows us the importance of the written word in the process of trying to affect a change. Though Casas’ sentiment in the account might not be a common one at the time, it does signal a rising awareness of the moral blindness displayed in the activities of the empires/colonies. Works Cited Bartolomà © de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, trans. Nigel Griffin (London: Penguin Classics, 2004), 9-37. Bartolomà © de las Casas, â€Å"Bartolomà © de las Casas,† in Norton Anthology of American Literature, ed. Nina Bayme and Robert S. Levine. (New York: WW Norton & Co, 2012), 38.

Owen Surname Meaning and Family History

Derived from the Welsh first name Owain, the surname Owen is generally thought to mean well born or noble, from the Latin eugenius. As a Scottish or Irish surname, Owen may be a shortened Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Eoghain (McEwan), meaning son of Eoghan. Surname Origin:  Welsh Alternate Surname Spellings:  OWENS, OWIN, OWINS, OEN, OWING, OWINGS, OWENSON, MACOWEN, HOWEN, OEN, OENE, ONN Famous People with the OWEN  Surname Daniel Owen  -  Welsh novelist; well-known for writing in the Welsh languageEvelyn Owen  -  Australian designer of the Owen machine gunJohn Owen  - early 19th century governor of North CarolinaWilliam Fitzwilliam Owen  - British naval officer and explorerRobert Owen - Welsh social reformer Where Is the OWEN  Surname Most Common? The Owen surname is most prevalent in the United States  according to  Forebears, ranking among the top 500 most common surnames in the country. Owen is found in the greatest density, however, in Wales, where it is the 16th most common surname.  Ã‚  It is also fairly common in England, where it ranks just outside of the 100 most common last names, and Australia (ranked 256th). WorldNames PublicProfiler  shows that the Owen surname in 1881 was found most frequently in Wales, especially in the area around Llandudno in northern Wales. According to Forebears, the Owen surname at that time ranked 5th in Anglesey and Montgomeryshire and 7th in  Caernarfonshire and  Merionethshire. Genealogy Resources for the Surname OWEN Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as an Owen  family crest or coat of arms for the Owen surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. The Owen/Owens/Owing  DNA Project: Individuals with the Owen  surname, and variants such as Owens or Owing, are invited to participate in this group DNA project in an attempt to learn more about Owen family origins. The website includes information on the project, the research done to date, and instructions on how to participate.OWEN  Family Genealogy Forum: This free message board is focused on descendants of Owen  ancestors around the world.FamilySearch - OWEN  Genealogy: Explore over 4.8  million results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Owen surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.GeneaNet - Owen  Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Owen  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. Resources and Further Reading Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.