cinco de mayo :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mexicamos, Viva Mexico† is cried out by the Mexican president every 16th of September as done by Miguel Hidalgo in 1821, after the traditional bell ringing is finished the national anthem is sang. Similar to the 4th of July celebration with parties, fireworks, ceremonies, except they also get bullfights also.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In search for independence a priest decided to take matters into his own hands and lead a revolution against the Spanish government, but he was executed immediately. His execution inspired another priest to continue the rebellion and brought together the Criollos, but more auguring was to continue until the country found a way of government both sides were satisfied with.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once the Criollos found out that the French forces that had occupied Spain, had imprisoned their leader King Ferdinand VII, they decided that they wanted to take control of the government. Leading the revolution was a catholic priest named Miguel Hidalgo. They wanted to establish Mexico as an independent country. Noone wanted confrontation with Spanish military though. Word spread fast and soon enough the Spanish was informed of a rebellion against them. That left Hidalgo with little time he had to act fast and start the rebellion early. In Dolores, Hidalgo gave his famous speech known as the Grito de Dolores, to Indians and mestizos that were called upon to rebel against the Spanish. The whole idea of the rebellion was so the Mexicans could govern their own land and that was enough drive for a war so the battle began.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The begging of the battle was very gruesome and bloody instead of having a political fight. The Indians had to fight against the Spanish artillery with there clubs, slings, axes, and machetes. His men were outnumbered, and some Indian communities wouldn’t fight because the battle was so bloody. Hidalgo had to retreat and was later executed in 1811. In 1813 another priest continued Hidalgo’s struggle. Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon attracted the Criollos. He came close to Mexican independence by bringing together a congress that wrote a constitution for a Mexican republic. He was also later captured by the Spanish and executed in 1815. In 1816 King Ferdinand was back on the throne. All rebels were killer by the Spanish and Ferdinand misunderstood the Criollos movement for there traitorous ways he put heavy taxes on them and organized a strong army to stop any revolution movement. Most Criollos could not trust Spain.

Building Brand Value: Gillette

The first safety razor with disposable blades was invented in 1901 by King C. Gillette. Since then to this date Gillette has been one of the leaders in shaving technology and innovation. Gillette has been the preferred choice for many men and women around the world for over 100 years. In the Mid-1970s the then appointed CEO Colman M. Mockler succeeded Vincent C. Ziegler after being with the company since 1957. Mockler’s strategic plan included the concentration of limited number of potential markets mainly with high volume returns and repeat purchase consumer items. He also invested in companies’ that were compatible with already existing manufacturing or distribution capabilities. Gillette's advertising budget was increased whilst at the same time cost-cutting measures were done in all other divisions. Basically he took a financial approach rather than a sales approach. The company was seeing success under the leadership of Mockler. Mocker was expected to retire at the end of 1991 but died unexpectedly in January 1991. While Mockler served as CEO for the period 1975 to 1991 the company was the target for three takeover attempts. In 1998 the Mach 3 was introduced. The new safety razor system introduced a third blade into the twin-blade system that dominated the wet-shaving market costing Gillette $35 billion to bring to the market. Gillette faced its worst economic performance in 1998, sales had dropped by 15 percent and 4700 jobs were cut. Some of markets that contributed towards the loss in income were Brazil, Germany and Russia, with the share price dropping by 11 percent. Gillette continued to underperform well into 1999 to 2000 and in October 2000. At that point the company’s managing board fired the then CEO Michael Hawley and announced a world-wide restructuring of Gillette. In 2001 James M. Kilts was recruited by the Gillette Board both as the chairman and CEO to bring his turnaround talent to the company. Kilts, the former Nabisco CEO had a reputation for fixing troubled companies. He was the first outsider recruited to lead Gillette. Some of the issues Kilts had at the top of his list to address upon his arrival at Gillette were 1) Duracell was no longer dominating the market as it had lost market share to other brands for example Energizer and Rayovac which offered similar performance at a lower cost. ) The company IT system was outdated and in some departments did not exist 3) Lacked communication throughout the organization both locally and internationally 4) Lack of discipline 5) Gillette's earnings were below expectations. 6) Lack of Innovation 7) Stock prices fell to 60 percent between early 1999 and late 2001. Attacking Gillette’s problems from within the organization Kilts demanded greater executive discipline, accountability and focus. Kilts also found that the company had lost its edge with a corporate culture that was outdated and failed to reward innovation. He found that the company did not keep up with the marketplace innovations and promoted staff mainly from within which did not foster any new ideas. Kilts introduced to the company a new more efficient meeting approach that promoted fact-based management, open communication, simplicity, collaboration, measurement, reports, and methods for working together. He wanted excellent performance that included the ability to collaborate across business units. Kilts Strategic Plan * Introduction of computer programs to aid with tracking of sales and inventory. Reduced the number of stock-keeping units, instead greater concentration was placed on the best selling items. * Reduction in overheads. * Increased advertising and conscious spending on R&D in key business units. * Increase accountability from managers through one and one meetings to discuss quarterly and annual reviews. * People were hired to lead and innovate, gradually changing people at the top. * Fostered teamwork and increased communication within the entire company globally. * The entire strategic plan was adapted or mapped precisely around the world. Kilts’ guiding principles included: Straight talk about problems and expectations * Courage to admit responsibility * Open dialogue and widespread communications * Clear priorities and attention to detail * Performance feedback At the end of the first quarter in 2004 Gillette reported 43 percent increase in profits which came mainly from the wet razors, Mach 3 and Venus systems. Under the watch of Kilts, the Gillette’s stock had risen by 50 percent. Within four years time Kilts was able to take Gillette from a declining slope to an inclining slope a nd made it one of the best-performing consumer products companies in the world. Eventually, on October 1, 2005, Gillette and Procter & Gamble merged companies. Procter & Gamble bought 100% of Gillette for $57 billion. Gillette continues to operate as the world best-selling razor with a mission and visions statement as follows. Vision: â€Å"The Gillette co. is a globally focused consumer products marketers that seeks competitive advantage in quality, value added personal use product. We are committed to build shareholder value through sustained profitable growth. † Mission: â€Å"To Build total brand value by innovating to deliver consumer value and customer leadership faster, better and more completely than our competitors. †

Christian Apologist Essay

Included in the 10 most influential Christians of the 20th century alongside Karl Barth, Pope John XXIII, Martin Luther King Jr, and Billy Graham, the Christian History magazine named him â€Å"the atheist scholar who became an Anglican, an apologist, and a ‘patron saint’ of Christians everywhere. † He was also dubbed as an â€Å"apostle to the skeptics† because he resolutely answered frequent objections individuals had when it came to accepting Christ as their Savior (christianodyssey. com). Born into a Protestant family in Ireland on November 29, 1898, C.  S. Lewis was the son of A. J. Lewis, a solicitor, and Flora Augusta, a promising mathematician. He bore a lonely and unhappy childhood. Especially crushed by the death of his mother due to cancer when he was nine years old, Lewis was left disheartened with God (christianodyssey. com). Lewis came to reject Christianity at an early age, becoming an affirmed atheist. He reasoned that Christian myths were mediocre and that the Christian god must be a sadist (about. com). Whilst being inquired about his religious view, C. S.  Lewis labeled the worship of Christ and the Christian faith as â€Å"one mythology among many. † (christianodyssey. com). Lewis was married to Helen Joy Davidman. She was a Jewish American with two children of her own. Davidman was good-natured and shared her husband’s joy in argument. Sadly, she died of cancer in 1960 (kirjasto. htm). After a prolonged period poor health and sporadic recovery, Lewis himself died on November 22, 1963 (christianodyssey. com). Fondly called â€Å"Jack† by his loved ones, Lewis was a well-known professor at both Oxford and Cambridge. Lewis’ 25 books on Christian topics include Mere Christianity (1952), The Problem of Pain (1940), Miracles (1947), The Screwtape Letters (1942), Surprised by Joy (1955) and The Great Divorce (1945). The Pilgrim’s Regress (1933) was about his own experience while on his way to conversion (christianodyssey. com). In The Problem of Pain (1940), it is asked, â€Å"If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain? † Here, Lewis reasoned that the wrong choices people tend to make usually account for the suffering they are eventually faced (kirjasto. htm). Here we see that Lewis is trying to give rational answers to queries people have without completely basing it on blind faith. Critics usually look for an understanding based on the cause-and-effect principle. The Chronicles of Narnia has turned out to be the most lasting of Lewis’s novels. It retells the story of the Creation, the fall and redemption of humanity and also includes other Christian themes in allegorical form. The portal to Narnia, a version of Paradise, is a wardrobe through which four sibling children enter this secondary world. In the first story the bad Witch is destroyed in a battle. The final books deal with Narnia’s beginning and end. In the last Armageddon story, with its death-and-resurrection theme, the struggle was between a king and the forces of evil (kirjasto. htm). We need to understand here that if readers can understand the mechanics of Narnia and how the plot of this story works with the inclusion of certain Christian themes, they can better understand Christian beliefs from a more objective point of view and accept it. The same point of view they read and understood The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis presented the basic teachings of orthodox Christianity — teachings he labeled â€Å"mere Christianity† (inplainsite. rg). Lewis went on British radio between 1942 and 1944. His discussions during those years were on what he called â€Å"mere Christianity,† that is, the universal and most doctrinal beliefs of the faith. This very collection of radio talks were later tied together in one of Lewis’ most influential books, Mere Christianity (christianodyssey. com). Lewis’s project in this book was to defend â€Å"mere Christianity,† or the most essential basics of the Christian faith, against unbelievers. (leaderu. com) Lewis based his defense of Christianity on an argument from morality. The Moral Argument states that there is a universal â€Å"moral conscience† amongst all human beings. Everybody possesses an internal sense of moral obligation to realize the difference between right and wrong and choose to do what is right. Lewis ascertains that the existence of this common â€Å"moral conscience,† can only be the consequential result from the existence of a god who created all humans. (about. com). C. S. Lewis disputed for reason-based Christianity as opposed to faith-based Christianity. This is a questionable decision on Lewis’ part because conventional Christianity is indisputably faith-based. Lewis’ principal readers were supposed to be skeptics and atheists rather than current believers. Skeptics doubt for lack of reason and evidence; therefore, only reason and evidence is more likely to draw their reconsideration. In his book, Mere Christianity, Lewis writes: â€Å"I am not asking anyone to accept Christianity if his best reasoning tells him that the weight of the evidence is against it. † (about. com). One of Lewis’ most-often-quoted statements is from Mere Christianity, where he uses reason and logic to introduce three possibilities to us (often known as the â€Å"Lewis trilemma†). According to this trilemma, either Jesus really was God and intentionally lying, or was not God but reckoned himself to be (which would make him a lunatic). Mere Christianity goes on to say that the latter likelihood is not consistent with Jesus’ character and it is, therefore, most likely that he was being truthful â€Å"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. â€Å"- Mere Christianity (christianodyssey. com). As mentioned earlier in this paper, C. S. Lewis’ readings are mostly meant for critics and unbelievers of the Christian faith. It is not designed for Christians who have accepted Lord Jesus as their Savior because they do not need to be convinced through reason-based writings about Christianity. Lewis was very interested in presenting a reasonable case for the truth of Christianity. I chose C. S. Lewis for my Apologetics term paper because I had always known this personality as the author of my favorite books. Years later, I was overwhelmingly surprised the depth of these novels in correlation to Christian concepts of Creation, Paradise and Armageddon. The applications of Lewis’ teachings can be seen in his Christian writings. They all lean towards reason, approaching Christianity as a religion that has factual grounds in addition of those relying on faith. C. S. Lewis believed the best apology for Christianity was the life of a believer and the way we live our lives. Non-Christians are more likely to be attracted to Christianity through the non-verbal acts and conduct of our life. However he also believed in verbal apologetics. Lewis believed Christianity was rational but at the same time was ultra-rational, i. e. that it was supernatural and divine and went way beyond the limits and scope of rationality (thatimayknowhim. o. uk). Lewis even believed in theistic evolution. In The Problem of Pain he wrote, â€Å"If by saying that man rose from brutality you mean simply that man is physically descended from animals, I have no objections†¦. For long centuries God perfected the animal form which was to become the vehicle of humanity and the image of Himself. He gave it hands whose thumbs could be applied to each of its fingers, and jaws and teeth and the throat capable of articulation, and a brain sufficiently complex to execute all material motions whereby rational thought is incarnated. The creature may have existed for ages in this state before it became man†¦. We do not know how many of these creatures God made, nor how long they continued in the Paradisal state† – The Problem of Pain (svchapel. org) The uniqueness of Lewis’ writings is fairly obvious. In comparison to other apologists, Lewis appealed to the reader’s emotions and sense of imagination. He, therefore, wanted to write about the essence of Christianity by reflecting upon its poignant, visual and imaginative side in its rational coherence. He wanted for the reader to taste the beauty of the faith; to draw the reader into the magnificent story of God’s salvation, to submerge him/her into the universe of Christianity. Many Christians testified that they started to seek heaven only after reading Lewis’ works. The way he is able to depict heaven and the spiritual world enabled the reader to truly understand the gift of Heaven that awaits us (euroleadershipresources. org). It is from C. S. Lewis that we need to learn that the kind of language used to explore God and the content of Christian faith is a matter of epitome importance. The human language has the potential to mediate feelings and understanding on an extremely poignant level. If implemented correctly Christian apologists need to be excited for themselves because of the relationship they are in with God. This very excitement on such a personal level will only help them better to find the right words and literary expressions needed to present the Christian faith. In this way, thanks to C. S. Lewis, Apologetics will become an effective personal testimony of God’s salvation (euroleadershipresources. org).