Saturday, January 25, 2020
Marketing Analysis of the NHS
Marketing Analysis of the NHS NHS Resource Profile The essence of developing a marketing strategy for a company is to ensure that the companys capabilities are matched to the competitive market environment in which it operates, notjust for today, but into the foreseeable future. At the heart of strategy liesthe need to assess critically both the organisations resource profile (often referred to as its strengths and weaknesses) and the environment it faces (Hooley, Saunders and Piercy, (2004).) With reference to academicliterature and to the National Health Service as an organisation, criticallyevaluate the mechanisms available to management by which it can assess: The organisations resource profile and The marketing environment it faces. Background to the NHS The NHS was set up on 5thJuly 1948 to provide healthcare for all citizens, based on need, not theability to pay. (www.nhs.uk) Prior to this date access to treatment depended oneither the ability to pay, or the goodwill of doctors in hospitals funded bycharitable donations. The latter was a very strained resource and often it wasonly the working parent, usually the man, who was able to access suchtreatment, which he often paid for by way of deductions from salary to schemessuch as the Hospital Saving Association ( www.hsa.co.uk ). Today the healthservice is formed of many trusts, reporting into the department of health,consisting of community services Trusts, Ambulance Trusts to Hospital Trusts.Care is made available for all who need it. Current government statedpriorities, as quoted on www.nhs.uk are given in National Service Frameworks are Cancer Paediatric Intensive Care Mental Health Coronary Heart Disease Older People Diabetes Renal services Childrens services Long Term Conditions The launch of the health servicewas very high profile (www.bbc.co.uk) and still often shown within healthcaretelevision coverage today. Over the last fifty years, many changes have beenmade to the service (www.nhs.uk/history) to enhance itsofferings to the public, yet today the NHS is often in the news for negative reasons. Despite the obvious good work that the NHS does, it is the longwaiting lists, MRSA and occasional health problems that come to the forefrontin the eyes of the media. Again, marketing can play a big part in theperception of the service in the eyes of the public. Organisations resource profile At the heart of strategy lies theneed to assess critically both the organisations resource profile (oftenreferred to as its strengths and weaknesses) and the environment it faces(Hooley, Saunders and Piercy).) In the 1990s the inside-out approach tomarketing, the resource based view (RBV) became popular with strategists suchas Grant, for its new approach which looked inside the firm to assess itscore competencies and to determine which competencies should be used for competitiveadvantage. A neo-classical approach, the resource view was that the externalenvironment was constantly changing and that it would be difficult forcompanies to keep changing with it, rather they ought to stick with what theyknow best and concentrate on their core offerings. The value chain approachoffered by Michael Porter, reaffirmed by Johnson and Scholes, also emphasisedthe importance of understanding how the internal organisational factors addvalue to and impact on the external environmental influences affe cting thefirm. The value chain activities are split into primary activities (inboundand outbound logistics, operations, marketing, sales and customer service) andsecondary activities (infrastructure, human resource management, technologydevelopment and procurement). All of the above chain linkages will need tobe assessed for the NHS in trying to ascertain the organisations resourceprofile. Taking the Value Chain approachand applying it to the NHS The value chain will now be takenand applied to what is known about the NHS in the public domain. (newspapers,media and www.nhs.co.uk) Primary activities Inbound and outbound logisticsrelate to the receiving and distribution of goods and services. Within the NHSlogistics would consist of the following Patients, who would either be transported by their own methods or by ambulances in order to receive the treatment. Drugs, dressings and other pharmaceutical supplies Staff who may travel to and from hospitals, to and from other medical establishments and from either of the former to a patients home/ destination and so on Medical equipment, such as surgical instruments and monitors Non medical equipment such as beds, linen, catering requirements, cleaning equipment and stationary Warehousing of goods From the above, it is noticeablethat there are a range of logistical activities, notably many of these aremanaged by different departments and others outsourced, such as catering andcleaning. Obviously where outsourcing has taken place, NHS Managers have takenthe decision that such services do not come under its core competencies andplaced the management of such activities in external hands. Non the less,outsourced activities are still very much an integral part of a companys valuechain, but where control of activities is outsourced there is a chance of aweak link (Porter) and notably much of the bad publicity (regularly referencedon national and regional news) surrounding the hospitals is indeed as a resultof questionable cleanliness (such as MRSA) and poor quality nutrition. Poorpublicity has an impact on public perception of service quality and the waythat the NHS counteracts this by efficient use of marketing is of importance. Operations transforms these variousinputs into the final product or service (Johnson and Scholes) by pulling allthe operational activities together, be they controlled directly oroutsourced. It is therefore a key link in the chain to ensure servicedelivery. The marketing and sales activitiesare responsible for raising awareness of the services provided by the NHS andthe perception of the quality of service it supplies to the public. Doctorswaiting rooms are full of adverts for services to prolong life, enhance healthand therefore use the service less such as those that target smokers to stop,heart disease campaigns to encourage the public to eat 5 or more portions offruit and vegetables per day, well man and well woman clinics and so on. Manyof these adverts run into national advertising, such as the daily newspaper,whilst local initiatives are often mentioned on the regional news. In additionthe NHS has an informative website www.nhs.uk which gives advice offeringa section on your health (to include self help guidance) and information oncurrent national health campaigns such as help a heart week and everymanmale cancer campaign. Just how much the website is referenced is unknown andone must question whether indeed the public even know of its existence. But marketing is not all aboutadvertising campaigns, especially within the not for profit sector where thereis a reliance on key relationships and networks (Caeson, Cromie, McGowan,Hill). Whilst logistics partners have already been referenced, a goodrelationship between the NHS marketing departments and the outsourced companiesis very important to ensure consistency of message on joint issues, such as thecleaning contractors approach to cleanliness and the rise of MRSA. Within thenot for profit sector there is a reliance on corporate support, national andlocal government support and the goodwill of the public, some of whom areinvolved in management committees (positions are advertised within the localpress). With the NHS being split into multiple trusts, some with differingspecialisms inter trust relationships are key to the treatment of certainpatients, thus creating more linkages in the chain and more marketingrelationships required. All of the above impact on bothinternal and external customer service and perception of service. Secondary activities Secondary activities are sometimescalled support activities as they support the primary activities mentionedabove. Procurement is the processes foracquiring the various resource inputs to the primary activitiesoccurs in manyparts of the organisation. (Johnson and Scholes). Within a complexorganisation, such as a trust, there are many ways to procure goods andservices from both the physical approach to the electronic methods. Technology development ranges fromthe hospital Consultants know how, to computer systems used for medicalrecords, to pharmacy systems linked to drugs. All of these will be managed byhuman resources some directly employed by the trust, some contracted to thetrust and some working for contract companies contracted to the trust. Allstaff will report directly to their line manager, and ultimately they to thetrust manager, advised by a committee, and that manager to the Secretary ofState for Health. Non-the-less, each member of staff employed by or within atrust is an internal marketer (Gummesson) and who they interact with bothinside and outside of the trust gains an impression of the trust by associationwith them. This is all held together by thefirms infrastructure, the systems of planning, finance, quality control,information management (Johnson and Scholes). Marketing environment facing theNHS Successfulcompanies take an outside-inside view of their business. They recognise thatthe marketing environment is constantly spinning new opportunities and threatsand understand the importance of continuously monitoring and adapting to thechanging environment. (Kotler) Analysing theenvironment for any organisation will involve a review of the political,economic, social and technical (PEST) environment it is in or faces. For theNHS, it is a UK based healthcare provider for the public, funded bycontributions made from taxes distributed by the government to each of thetrusts. It operates within a politically stable economy with funds pledged byboth the current and previous governments to the service for improvements inhealthcare and salaries for staff. The economic environment facing the NHS isa growing economy with a rising elderly population and less working people tosupport them. In addition, it has become increasingly difficult to recruitmedical staff (national press) and shortages have often been counteracted byemploying staff from other EU countries, which in turn increases the populationwithin the UK. This again has been a subject of press attention, againnegative for the NHS. The social/ cultural environment shapes beliefs, valuesand norms (Ko tler). Belief in the core values of the health service and theservices it offers was high on the publics list of concerns during the lastgeneral election, as if the NHS is an integral part of the UK and its culture. The technological environment is moving fast within the health caresector, as well as drugs being continually developed, techniques for operationsare being advanced and the use of technologies for both medical andadministrative procedures. Such are rarely mentioned in the press. Traditionally,before formulating a marketing strategy a company would usually undertake aSWOT analysis, that is to understand its strengths and weaknesses and realiseopportunities and steer clear of known and potential threats. The keyelements, in the authors opinion are listed below. Strengths Although not a monopoly, there is no real competitor for the NHS. Whilst private hospitals are available throughout the UK, the Accident and Emergency service is unique to the NHS. The fact that there is continual monitoring of waiting lists is proof that the demand outstrips supply The NHS has been established since 1948 and continues to grow and expand upon its services. Weaknesses Unable to cope with the demand due to the increasing population Possibly the management of the linkages of the chain, per the resource analysis Opportunities To use marketing strategies to raise the profile of the NHS Increase of private investment Threats Image of the NHS being affected by the work of contractors Staff turnover high Of course, theabove SWOT is written down by the author with no first hand working knowing ofthe NHS trusts. As with most SWOTs, the above is based on perception which,in turn, is based on the interpretation of information in the public domain,based on regular articles in the media. So in effect, marketing has alreadyhad an impact on this view. It is likely that many people will all havedifferent perceptions of the NHS, depending on their outlook and any personalexperience they may have. However, given the number of NHS trusts in operationand the number of different operating units even an employee working for onebusiness unit is likely to have a different perception to another. Another tool toassess the NHS would be to undertake a marketing audit, a comprehensive,systematic, independent, and periodic examination of a companys marketingenvironment.with a view to determining problem areas and opportunities(Kotler) . This would indeed be a complex affair. Each trust is strategicallyresponsible for itself, so it may be presumed that it is responsible for itsmarketing activity, but with one NHS website indications are that it iscentrally controlled. Included within the audit would need to be an audit ofthe outsourced companies and their way of representing the NHS. With differentcompanies and indeed trusts operational throughout the UK there are bound to be different corporate cultures and core values which would need tobe considered and addressed if possible. Resource basedview resume v marketing based strategies recommendations From theresource based critique, it was seen that marketing affects every part of theNHS. Having evaluated the NHS against the resource based view, using thevalue chain model; it can be observed that the NHS is indeed a complex organisation.Over the years, it has gone from being a totally autonomous organisation whichdoes everything for itself, to one that now out sources various functions suchas technology, hygiene, and distribution and so on. Of course it hasrecognised that its core competencies lie within the medical services itprovides to its customers, patients, and has concentrated on this side.However, despite the obvious good work it undertakes and millions of livestreated, there is not much awareness made of this important achievement in thenational press, rather it is the down side that is much advertised, much ofwhich is as a result of losing control by outsourcing activities such ashygiene. The NHS does not appear to use marketing as a way of counter attackingsuch reports with headlines such as Doctor saves x many lives in one year.. The resource based view takes very much the relational approach of the notfor profit sector, relying on goodwill, government interaction, committees,initiatives and letting the public know via a website. Probably the marketingfunction is not prominent within the NHS Trust. Whilst the traditional 4Ps (price,product, place, promotion) approach to marketing may not necessarily be thebest approach for the NHS Trust, given its unique prominence in healthcarewithin the UK, there is a definite need to promote the success stories, ofwhich there are most likely to be numerous. Key recommendations for futuremarketing and development are to Place marketing at the centre of the management function Enhance PR activities to both feed positive information into the government as well as out to the various publics in the country. Appoint marketing oriented representatives on each of the trusts managing committees. Internally market successes to staff and try and retain staff for longer. (A separate exit interview exercise will need to be taken for this) Encourage more private investment to grow the service and its core staff. Bibliography Brassington, F, Pettitt, S (2000) Principles of Marketing (2nd Edition) (Essex,Pearson Education Limited: 2000) Caeson, D., Cromie, S., McGowan,P., Hill, J. (1995) Marketing and entrepreneurship inSMEs: An Innovative Approach (Harlow: Financial Times, Prentice Hall) Donaldson, B (1995) Customer Service as a Competitive Strategy Journal ofStrategic Marketing, Vol.3 No.2: June 1995 Doyle, P (1998) Marketing Management and Strategy (2nd Edition)(Hemel Hempstead, Prentice Hall: 1998) Drummond, G, Ensor, J, Ashford, R (2003) Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control (2ndEdition) (Oxford, Butterworth Heinemann: 2003) Egan, C (1997) Creating Organisational Advantage (3rd Edition)(Oxford, Butterworth Heinemann: 1997) Grant, R (1992) Contemporary Strategy Analysis (2nd Edition)(Cambridge Massachusetts, Blackwell Publishers: 1992) Gummesson, E (1998) Implementation Requires a Relationship Marketing ParadigmJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Vol.26, No.3, pages 242 249 Johnson, G. Scholes, K (2002) Exploring Corporate Strategy (6th edition) (Harlow, Financial Times, Prentice Hall: 2002) Kotler, P (1997) Marketing Management Analysis, Planning, Implementationand Control) (9th Edition) (New Jersey, Prentice Hall: 1997) Lynch, R (2003) Corporate Strategy 3rd edition. (London, Financial Times Pitman: 2003) Porter, M (1985) Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance (New York, Free Press: 1985) Whittington, R (1997) What is Strategy and does it Matter? (London, InternationalThompson Business Press: 1997) www.bbc.co.uk www.hsa.co.uk www.nhs.uk
Friday, January 17, 2020
BMW Research.How does the consumer impact a marketing plan created by the brand? Essay
BMW Research Introduction How does the consumer impact a marketing plan created by the brand? Consumer behavior influences the type of marketing plan that is adopted by an organization to promote their brand. An organization can segment its consumer market through defining groups of consumers with characteristics which are similar, but every segment will have varying types of consumers. When an organization recognizes which type of consumer is most likely to purchase their brand, then the organizationââ¬â¢s marketing plan can be changed accordingly in order to increase its effectiveness (Retrieved August 14, 2014, from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Comp-De/Consumer-Behavior.html). BMW carries out various studies to discover their consumers need and consumer behavior which helps them in designing effective marketing plans to market their brand. How is the consumer influenced by others? According to a recent survey, 90 percent of the consumers stated that their buying decisions are influenced by the online reviews from the other consumers. This shows that a consumer can be influenced by other consumers towards a certain brand. Positive customer reviews influences other consumers negatively towards a certain brand while negative consumer reviews influences other consumers negatively. These customer reviews portrays the customer experiences on whether their needs were satisfied or not satisfied with a certain brand. BMW ensures that their products satisfy the needs of their consumers, thus ensuring that there are positive online reviews by their consumers concerning their products (Colson, 2011). Does culture direct a consumer to purchase one product vs. another? Consumer buying decisions are usually influenced by factors which are beyond their control. Cultural factors are external influences which have a great impact on what individuals consume and how they live. The culture represents the beliefs, behavior and also the way individuals observe and interact with other society members. Cultural values play a great role in determining whether a certain product will be purchased in a particular market. As a way of convincing their customers to buy their products, organizations usually use cultural representations, particularly in promotional appeals (Retrieved August 14, 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/type-buyer-consumer-affect-marketing-strategy-65738.html). The main aim is to connect the customers using the cultural references that can be embraced and understood easily by the consumers. In order to win the consumers, marketers adopt strong research efforts so as to discover differences concerning how sub-culture behaves. BMW acknow ledges this fact and has put its efforts through their marketers to ensure that their consumers relate well and feels more comfortable with their products because they correspond well with their cultural values (Bohner et al, 1997). References Colson, R. S. (2011). BMW. New York: PowerKids Press. How Does the Type of Buyer or Consumer Affect a Marketing Strategy?. (n.d.). Small Business. Retrieved August 14, 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/type-buyer-consumer-affect-marketing-strategy-65738.html Reference for Business. (n.d.). Consumer Behavior. Retrieved August 14, 2014, from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Comp-De/Consumer-Behavior.html WÃÆ'à ¤nke, M., Bohner, G., & Jurkowitsch, A. (1997). There Are Many Reasons to Drive a BMW: Does Imagined Ease of Argument Generation Influence Attitudes?. Journal of Consumer Research, 24(2), 170-178. à à Ã
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Observation of The Pub Essay - 532 Words
As I open the double glass doors at the Pub I am overwhelmed with all of the noise. This place sounds more like a bar than a laundry mat. There is music playing, beeping from the arcade games, a metal fan going, tumbling noises from the dryers, and wet clothes being thrown around in the washers. I can barely keep my train of thought. The humidity in the room made it very uncomfortable. The smell on the other hand is great it smells so clean and warm. The room was filled with many different people. There were college students, families, people that were by themselves, screaming babies and a few senior citizens. The room is fairly large with dinghy white walls that have a moldy green border running alongâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦There is also a gigantic world atlas on the wall that is only partly visible because of the three arcade games standing in its way. Hanging from the ceiling there is a t.v monitor playing the news. In front of the arcade games is a round wooden table accompanied by two dark green plastic chairs and a coke machine with a faint buzz. To the right of the doors there is a large window that can barely be seen out of. In front of the window is a green newspaper stand and ten red twenty-five cent machines that contain an assortment of different candies and fake jewelry. In the clutter of twenty five-cent machines stands a tall beige scale that claims to be able to tell your fortune by your weight. Behind that mess is another round wooden table surrounded by three more dark green lawn chairs. Sitting beside the table is a large roaring metal fan. Hanging above the table is a surveillance camera an another t.v monitor that displays what the camera picks up. In the center of the room there is a muddle of noisy washing machines. In both the first and last rows are ten white washing machines similar to household ones. Between the white washers are fourteen stainless steel washing machines and a small lounge area. These washers are not similar to household ones. They look like huge metal boxes and have aShow MoreRelatedCesare Beccaria, An Italian Scholar Born997 Words à |à 4 Pagesbehaviors are due to social, cause and effect aspects and not individual biological factors. Durkheimââ¬â¢s theories about criminal behaviors were rationally based on social reality (McLaughlin and Muncie 2013, p. xx). His social facts were drawn from observations collected from history, statistics and other factors about criminal behaviors rather than relying on unproved assumptions of beliefs and opinions (Hilbert 1989, p. 247). Durkheimââ¬â¢s methods opposed Lombrosoââ¬â¢s assumptions as he insisted that usingRead MoreEssay on The History of Psychology1423 Words à |à 6 Pagesfuture of Psychology. One of the first psychology laboratories was founded in the late 1870s, by Wilhelm Wundt. 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Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Analysis of Kant Essay - 896 Words
Analysis of Kant The philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote this passage in hopes that we understand the world better. Kant is trying to tell us that there are many things that evolve around this world and that every little single detail that we do makes the world what it is. In this passage Kant uses the term enlightenment which basically means its a form of being informed spiritually to us as humans where we must release what the world has set in sight for us and go through our own knowledge to live through life. Its basically forgetting about what others teach us or had planned for us to do and make up our own path where we therefore have our own freedom toâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Kant mentions external direction from which it was long gone. This might mean the free will that we all possess, I believe that the world is not intended to be a fixed society where God has already set a path for all beings since he created this earth of ours. I do however believe that God has probably made a path for all individuals but only a positive path since God is only made of goodness within himself. Its the evil that opens up the free will and thats why God created the devil. God has given humans a choice either to do well or follow the path thats intended to be in store for that particular individual or commit the evil. God created the world so that he can see with his own eyes what he had created, whether his creation was worthwhile or a disappointment in Gods mind. So the free will that God has given to us is what makes the world as interesting as it is. In this picture we can see a man separated from two zones where one part of the body is in one end and the other on the other dominant end. Theres a rainbow like layer blocking the man from entering into the other zone. To my belief, its the inability of humans giving an extra effort to pass through into the Promised Land. 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However, none of these discoveries could be appreciated in a way that clarifies ââ¬Å"their specific being.â⬠As an example, Heidegger interprets this problem, as the reason Plato understood why the soul, along with its logos, was a differentRead MoreCritical Examination Of Knowledge And Belief1504 Words à |à 7 PagesA Philosophical Examination of the Benefit of Critical Analysis in the Examination of Knowledge and Belief in the Writings of Plato, Kant, Kierkegaard, and Clifford In this philosophy study, an examination of the importance of critical analysis of knowledge (facts) and belief are important features in the writings of Plato, Kant, Kierkegaard, and Clifford. In Socrates view, the fickle nature of beliefs are often misconstrued as being ââ¬Å"knowledgeâ⬠, which defines the ambiguous barrier between realityRead MoreKant And Kant s Metaphysical Theorizing1303 Words à |à 6 Pageswere possible. 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Monday, December 16, 2019
Economic Factors in the Decline of the Byzantine Empire Free Essays
ââ¬Å"Economic Factors in the Decline of the Byzantine Empireâ⬠In this article taken from The Journal of Economic History, Peter Charanis discusses the factors that economically affected the decline of the Byzantine Empire. His discussion is based on the fact that past scholars, such as English historian Edward Gibbon who wrote The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, thought the Byzantine Empire was in a constant state of decline throughout its existence, but he disagrees. He says that more recent scholars have found that it was, in fact, one of the great empires in history. We will write a custom essay sample on Economic Factors in the Decline of the Byzantine Empire or any similar topic only for you Order Now He references to historians such as Fridtjof Nansen, author of Lââ¬â¢Armenie et le proche Orient, who said that the Byzantine culture ââ¬Å"is and will remain one of the most remarkable works of architecture, and if the Byzantine culture had created nothing but that, it would be sufficient to classify it among the greatest. â⬠Charanis is convinced that most scholars today reject Gibbonââ¬â¢s theory, and this article discusses why he believes so. Because the Byzantine Empire endured for over a thousand years and was the center of civilization until the middle of the eleventh century, it could not be looked at as a constantly declining empire. According to Charanis, it preserved antiquity, developed new forms of art, and held back barbarians. Byzantium produced great soldiers, statesmen, diplomats, reformers, and scholars. It was also successful at spreading the gospel among pagan tribes. Charanis quotes Czech historian F. Dvornik who wrote Les Slaves byzance et Rome au IX saying Byzantium ââ¬Å"molded the undisciplined tribes and made nations out of them; it gave to them its religion and institutions, taught their princes how to govern, transmitted to them he very principles of civilation ââ¬â writing and literature. ââ¬Å"Byzantium was a great power and a great civilizing force,â⬠Charanis said. He believed that war and religion were the two principal factors that molded the society of the empire and determined its external position. Because war was a normal state during Byzantiumââ¬â¢s thousand year existence, war was not a reason to believe that it was constantly declining. For example, in the seventh cen tury, the Sarcens, Slavs, and Bulgars reduced the empire greatly, but the seventh century emperors reorganized the administration of the empire to cope with the situation at hand. In the eleventh century however, the empire was not as fortunate to recover from certain military reverses that occurred. There were disastrous defeats that they never fully recovered from, and this is what finally led to the beginning of their decline. One very important factor, according to Charinisââ¬â¢ sources such as Russian historiansââ¬â¢ books and works, were the conditions the Manzikerts left the empire in. It had such a huge impact on the social and economic life of the empire, and this was the basis of its virtual disappearance. Byzantium relied so fully on the social and economic aspect of their culture, that an attack to this was fatal. The Manzikert military aristocracy was far from what the Byzantines were accustomed to, and caused the soldiery-peasantry to decline which was a large part of their state. Up until this point, emperors were able to rework the empire and reorganize things so that Byzantium could thrive, but after their ââ¬Å"large estateâ⬠, which had been a huge party of their society, was attacked, it was almost impossible. Charanis believes that the aristocracy that was put in place in the eleventh century was also another large factor of decline. Instead of being a social and economic based empire, it was a military aristocracy. The soldiers were the holders of the military estates, and the aristocracy absorbed the estates of the peasants. The focus of the emperors was the happiness of the soldiers and not of the peasants, or all the other people in the empire, and this was also a large source of decline in Byzantium. Once the emperors of the eleventh century realized that this system was not working quite as well, they tried to create an anti-military policy, which consummated a depression in soldiers. This entire struggle that occurred after the seventh century caused the empire to participate in a series of civil wars affected its sources and manpower, according the Charanis. Other serious factors that caused the decline were the weakening of the central administration, the failure to enforce measures of protection for the soldiery-peasantry, and the grants of privileges made to the aristocracy. It has been said that another reason for their decline was the strict controls they placed on commerce and industry, but Charanis disagrees and says it is extremely doubtful that this was their weakness. He backs up this argument by saying that when those controls were most strictly enforced, was when their empire was at its greatest. He goes on to say that the period of the greatest decline is marked by the breakdown of these controls. Tenth century Byzantine emperor Romanus Lecapenus wrote in one of his novels that the extension of power to the strong and the depression of power to the many would ââ¬Å"bring about the irreparable loss of the public good. â⬠Charanis agrees with him saying that ââ¬Å"His prediction had come true. The disappearance of the free peasantry, the increase in the wealth, privileges, and power of the aristocracy, and the consequent depression of the agrarian population constitute, I think, some of the principal factors in the decline of the Byzantine Empire. â⬠Charanisââ¬â¢ evidence is clearly all there and cited, but it is somewhat difficult to understand his references. Theyââ¬â¢re numbered at the bottom and his numbers are meant to further explain certain points throughout the article. Another problem I have with his evidence is that they are mostly books written by foreign authors, and I canââ¬â¢t read the titles. I believe that Charanis has clearly proven his point and thoroughly discussed his thesis; however, his argument was not extremely bold, because he is arguing one historianââ¬â¢s theory (Edward Gibbon), and agreeing with every other historian who believes the Byzantine Empire was great. His argument was more fact-based, and proven through certain points of notoriety throughout the existence of the empire, and his presentation of these points seemed unorganized. In fact I found the organization of this article to be somewhat confusing. He seemed to jump around from century to century and fact to fact. I believe it would have been much more efficiently written if he had discussed the certain centuries of the empire in chronological order. This also would have more effectively shown the factors that led up to the decline of the Byzantine Empire. Instead he jumped around discussing things that related to the factors, but not thoroughly discussing what order the things happened and why one led to the next. Charanis did not raise new questions in his argument. He simply argued Gibbonââ¬â¢s theory, and used other historians to back his argument up. In fact, most of the historians that Charanis used as references were quite old, for example, Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian author from 1928. No recent authors or suggestions were raised from Charanisââ¬â¢ article. I think that overall this article offered some very thorough and credible information about the decline of the Byzantine Empire, but since his original argument was that Gibbon was wrong, he should have used more examples of historians that supported Gibbons theory and argued their points as well. Though he had many historians to back up his argument, his thesis mentioned Gibbon. He definitely proved his point and listed many factors that caused the decline of the Byzantine Empire, but I would have liked to see less confusing organization and newer information that supported his argument. How to cite Economic Factors in the Decline of the Byzantine Empire, Papers
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Technology Effects free essay sample
ââ¬Å"The fact is we didnââ¬â¢t get along well until photography came into its own. Then motion pictures in the early twentieth century. Radio. Television. Things began to have a mass. â⬠This statement that Captain Beatty made while having a conversation with Guy Montag, was stating how the society had changed once the technology grew. Fahrenheit 451 is mainly about the effects of technology and its effects on humanity. It is also involves the topic, censorship, but that did not have much effect on the society as technology did. In fact it was because of the misusage of technology, censorship was even being focused on. In this society houses have parlour walls and in Montagââ¬â¢s house three of the parlour walls are covered withââ¬â¢ wall screensââ¬â¢ or large TV that covers the entire wall. Montagââ¬â¢s wife, Mildred, hardly ever stops watching them. Mildredââ¬â¢s favorite programs are the shows that involved scripts- she was given a script so that she could ââ¬Ëbecomeââ¬â¢ a part of the shows from her own living room. We will write a custom essay sample on Technology Effects or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page People in this society even called the actors on these programs their ââ¬Ëfamilyââ¬â¢. One day Montag was sick and he couldnââ¬â¢t handle the noise of the parlour, so he asked his wife to turn it off. Even in a situation like that she had rejected his request and replied, ââ¬Å"Thatââ¬â¢s my family. â⬠The TV separates one from the rest of the world. It even replaces the meaning of what family actually is. The society does not realize how this useless machine is hypnotizing people in dangerous way. Still there is a censorship that states owning and reading books are illegal. That does not even effect one- fourth of the society, because no one has time for it anyway. The majority of the society is too busy keeping up with all their TV programs. That is what is really affecting the people. In Fahrenheit 451, TV is not the only technology product that isolates someone from everyone else. Seashell Radios do it also. A seashell radio is a ear device that produces calm ocean sounds throughout the entire day. A person carried away with the relaxation of this cannot think about anything. And because they canââ¬â¢t hear other sounds , they donââ¬â¢t want to socialize with others. It allows them to be in their own world. With a device like the seashell radio, it is not reasonable to have a censorship idea that the people donââ¬â¢t have time to think. It is not that they actually donââ¬â¢t have time to think instead, they are simply not making time. If the seashell radio was not invented they more likely would have been able to think more.
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