External And Internal Audit Of Zurich

External And Internal Audit Of Zurich The scope of the report is a comprehensive external and internal audit of the company Zurich Insurance, providing a base for formulation of its new 5-year marketing plan. The company, Zurich Financial Services (Zurich Insurance) is a global insurance-based financial services provider, which offers life insurance, non-life insurance, risk management and other related products. Group headquarters are in Zurich, Switzerland, it employs 60,000 people, while its main markets are in Europe and North America. The group operates thought three main units targeting three main segments (Zurich Insurance 2010): General insurance targeting the non-life insurance segment; Global life targeting the life insurance segment; and Farmers that targets the life and non-life segment in US. The analysis in the report identified several key issues of importance for the further activities of the company. Key emerging issues The current external and internal situational impact as provided with the audit identifies several important opportunities for development of the company in the period to come. In line with its current corporate objectives, these directions include: Expansion on emerging insurance market especially the non-life market; Capitalisation on its position at the mature markets for a better positioning in the new segment (ageing population) at the mature markets Improve its operational profit margin; and Placing Corporate Social Responsibility at the core of its strategic positioning reinforcing its brand and working towards decreasing the high level of groups risks. Table of Contents 1.Vision, Mission and Corporate Objectives 4 1.1 Vision 4 1.2 Mission Statement 4 1.3 Corporate Objectives 5 2.Situational Analysis 6 2.1 External Analysis 6 2.1.1.Macroeconomic Analysis-PESTEL 6 2.1.2.Industry Analysis 8 2.1.3. Market Analysis 11 2.1.4. Opportunities and Threats 11 .2. Internal Analysis 12 2.2.1. Value Chain Analysis 14 2.2.2. The Balance Scorecard 15 2.2.3. Core Competences and Capabilities 15 2.2.4. Zurich Insurance Culture Web 16 2.2.5. Identified Strengths and Weaknesses 16 2.3.Summary of the current situation impact- SWOT 17 3.Marketing Objectives Five year plan 20 4.Marketing Strategies 21 6. Marketing Implementation 7Ps 22 7. Budgetary Requirements 23 8. Gantt 25 Vision, Mission and Corporate Objectives The concept of vision and mission comes from the influence of the rationalists approaches towards strategy promoted by Chandler and Ansoff and the famous hierarchy of plans (Linstead et.al. 2004, p. 501). Within the hierarchy of plans, there are four levels of strategy: enterprise, corporate, business and functional plans, while at the top of the pyramid is the enterprise strategy. The enterprise strategy is the broadest level of strategy that articulates the role of the business entity in the society. Its main aim is to answer two questions why does the company exist and what does it serve for the society. In contemporary management language it seeks to provide the Mission and the Vision of the company as a whole. 1.1 Vision The Zurich Way or the Zurich vision is to become the best global insurer as defined by its customers, its shareholders and its people (Zurich Insurance 2010) in serving its three target segments. 1.2 Mission Statement Zurichs mission is to deliver help when it matters so that customers feel valued and taken care of (TheTimes100 2010, p121) is reflected in its comprehensive range of general and life insurance products and services accustomed to the needs of all of its customers, accompanied with an in-depth customer knowledge, a global network and local expertise, high-quality service and ease of doing business, backed by strong capital and talented employees (Zurich Insurance 2010). 1.3 Corporate Objectives According to Linstead et.al. (2004, p. 502) ,the corporate objectives should be specific, realistic considering the internal and external environment, achievable with a reasonable amount of effort, and must reflect the expected reality, or in short SMART. For Zurich Insurance they are (Zurich Insurance 2009a): 1.3.1 Profitable growth The company seeks to identify and exploit opportunities for profitable growth. These opportunities arise when there are strategic gaps in offer at target markets or locations. It is either achieved though the existing business of the company or through acquisition of new business. Key performance indicators (KPI) for this objective are groups operating profit margin and its net profits. 1.3.2 Operational transformation The operational transformation objective aims at building strength at core areas as risk management, investment management, underwriting and claims, measured through the level of quality of services. 1.3.3 Customer centricity The customer centricity is the centre of companys mission achieved through five specific indicators as presented in Figure 2. People management The companys objectives are to employ the best talent, and to provide opportunities for its further professional development. Situational Analysis A situational analysis in the strategic management, consists of analysis of the external and internal context of the company, and serves to identify possible gaps in the strategic positioning of the company that can be a strategic opportunity or threat, and in identifying its internal strengths and weakness. In essence, it is what practitioners call a marketing audit. A marketing audit is a comprehensive, systematic, independent, and periodic examination of a companys or business units marketing environment, objectives, strategies, and activities with a view to determining problem areas and opportunities and recommending a plan of action to improve the companys marketing performance (Kotler and Keller 2006, p.719). Thus it is a tool that assists the management in describing current activities and their outcomes, performed for setting new strategic direction of the company, or as in the case of Zurich Insurance for setting a new marketing plan. 2.1 External Analysis The analysis of the business environment is a significant step in understanding the external concept in which the company functions. According to Johnson et.al (2005, p.64) this understanding is built on several levels: the macro environment, the micro environment-the industry, the competitors (strategic groups) and the markets (segments). 2.1.1.Macroeconomic Analysis-PESTEL The PESTEL tool helps in identifying the factors that determine the external strategic opportunities and threats of companies operating in a certain industry (Johnson et.al 2005, p.57). Thomson and Strickland (2003, p.93) regard these factors as key drivers of change, shaping the strategic environment of the industry (Lynch 2009, p.79), and significant in the process of building scenarios of possible futures (Johnson et.al 2005, p.57). In the case of Zurich Insurance, these factors are given as follows. Political environment The more conditions which globalisation brings to businesses and their operations as are the openness of trade and easier movement of capital, the impact of the lack of more structured global governance represents a high systematic risk for the insurance sector. According to the Global Risk Report (WEF 2010), in most of the cases of risk identification, the experts identified weak or inadequate institutions or agreements in almost all of the risks covered. This is why global governance gap emerged as a systematic risk crucial in addressing many critical global issues over the coming years of importance for the insurance industry as are the climate change effects and the natural disasters. Economic environment The GDP growth is one of the most important pre-conditions for the profitability in the insurance sector. The global economy is a contrast of the stagnant growth in the developed countries (2-3% projected growth in the next 5 years) and a stronger positive growth in the developing regions (7% growth by 2015) (IMF 2010, p.4). This slowdown, negatively affects the insurance business in the areas of property and casualties, as the market is not growing causing a fierce competition pressuring margins. Many countries, especially the ones from the developed world as a response to the financial crisis from 2007, responded with overextending their fiscal positions, endangering unsustainable levels of debt which, in turn, may lead to full-fledged sovereign debt crises (WDF 2010). Based on IMF data, WEF (2010) reports of G20 budget deficits at 7.9% of their combined GDP. Although necessary these costs created a mountain of debt, that will have to be serviced on behalf of reduction in government spending on health and pensions, increasing the opportunities for the private life and pension insurance. Socio-cultural environment A key socio-economic driver influencing the environment of the insurance industry and thus Zurich Insurance is the ageing of the population in the developed countries. At the moment, many public health are not designed for meeting these needs, and will contract pushing the population towards the private insurers (WEF 2010). Technological environment Technology as a key driver of change, in particular affected the insurance sales channels, enabling transparency for the end buyers and a possibility to compare prices. In some target markets this possibility affected and still affects insurance premiums. From the aspect of the fast penetration of the IT/IS in the operations of companies, the risks of a major failure which could jeopardise the operations of the industry on a global scale are small, as the financial industry in general is very conservative towards the new trends of use of IT, while cloud computing is still out of industry comprehension. Environmental environment A key driver of change for the insurance industry coming from the environment is the global climate change. The severity of extreme weather accompanied global catastrophes in the form of natural disasters as hurricanes, wildfires and floods, may result in greater damage of the environment, infrastructure and property, even loss of life, increasing insurance claims (WEF 2010). Legal environment The financial industry in general, and the insurance sector is particular is one of the most regulated areas in the world that penetrates all its operations. In many cases, insurance is obligatory as is the motor-insurance, and in some countries the prices are set. As a result, it can be argued that the industry products in general are price inelastic. 2.1.2.Industry Analysis Economic theory defines an industry as a group of firms producing the same principal product (Rutherford 1985 as cited in Johnson et.al 2005, p.77) or, more broadly, a group of firms producing products that are close substitutes for each other (Porter 1980, p.5). From a strategic management perspective, analysing the attractiveness of the insurance means determining the profit potential through understanding the competitive forces in that industry and the way in which Zurich Insurance chooses to compete (Johnson et.al. 2005, p78). 2.1.2.1. Key Strategic Groups The insurance industry is characterised with two specific market segments, life and non-life insurance. The industry is highly fragmented with large number of players (Datamonitor 2010b, p.) of which most function in the both markets, and the markets are heavily regulated, as a result there are no specific strategic groups within this industry. 2.1.2.2. Five Forces Analysis While many times put on test, challenged and questioned, for almost three decades Porters five forces model (1980, 1985), is the dominant model accepted for analyzing the attractiveness of industries. Porters analysis shows that in the insurance industry the competitive rivalry is high and intensive. It is an industry in the shakeout phase of its cycle, characterised with small annual growth (Johnson et.al. 2005, p.86). The industry phase is characterised with a shakeout of the weakest competitors, encouraging acquisitions and consolidation. The main buyers in the industry are the policy holders, individuals and corporations, while the main suppliers are seen in the IT companies. Although the switching costs for the buyers are high due to contract obligations, the overall buyer power is assessed as moderate due to the large number of individual customers, which devaluates the meaning of the choice of an individual buyer. Within the business segment, the buyer power is lowered further due to the fact that businesses actually require insurance to protect their companies from risk; however, large companies excursive stronger negotiating power compared to the individuals. As the insurance industry works with information and stores huge amounts of data, the IT companies and software houses are its main supplier. It usually is a larger company as IBM, while the software systems are complex and interlinked, which increases supplier power and the switching costs. In recent years there have been trends of outsourcing the tasks to off-shore companies; however, this is not the dominant trend in this industry, which is why the supplier power is assessed as strong. It is a capital incentive industry which serves as a major entry barrier to newcomers; however, competitors from within the large financial industry as Banks, wherever the legislation allows them, can easily enter at the market. The overall treat coming from newcomers is assessed as moderate. There are no real substitutes to insurance. Many insurance products are legally required in many countries, which is why the threat coming from the substitutes is assessed as weak. Overall, the attractiveness of the industry in combination with its life cycle stage is assessed as moderate (Datamonitor 2010b). 2.1.3. Market Analysis The insurance market consists of two very important segments: the life and non-life insurance. Zurich insurance operates in the both segments. The life insurance segment participates with 57% in the total value at the market. The non-life segment has a significant growth potential in the emerging markets as China where this rate is very low (Datamonitor 2010c), where the state still covers the life-insurance. According to the estimations of Datamonitor (2010b), the market had a compound annual growth rate of 2.7% for the period 2005-2009 with an anticipated annual growth of 6.7% for the period 2009-2014, with a higher market growth expected on the Asian market. 2.1.4. Opportunities and Threats The external analysis presented in the preceding sections identifies the existence of several external strategic opportunities and threats for Zurich Insurance. The opportunities come from the process of consolidation and geographic expansion in the emerging markets, from the ageing population at the developed markets and the good developments at the assets management market. The industry faces tough times due to the slow recovery of the global economy and the increasing environmental risks for the only risk taker in the society. The risks from a catastrophe, either from a severe weather, or a major natural disaster, are high, and the insurance industry is the only one taking accountability for these occurrences on a global level thus there is a global governance gap that threatens the industry. Table 1.Telescopic ObservationFramework Technological considerations Economic considerations Legal and regulatory requirements Ecological and Environmental issues Sociological Trends Competition Organisational Culture Portfolio analysis International issues Cost efficiencies and cost structures New technology and fast penetration of IT in the insurance channels Slow growth of the global economy, Heavily regulated industry in almost all countries. Climate Change causing severe weather and catastrophes Ageing population in the mature markets; longer life expectations; Population growth at the emerging markets Intensive rivalry, many players Strong and unique Life and non-life products, and products for global companies Global governance gap a major risk for the insurance industry Strengths Zurich is successful in IT implementation. Zurich is 5thglobal player Unique Culture Proposition UPS Strong Weaknesses Needs more security Opportunity Increased demand for new life insurance products; Penetration at the emerging markets Opportunity to acquire competitors Threats It will decrease company revenues It will increase insurance claims No strong global governance increases global risks .2. Internal Analysis In the contemporary strategic management, the analysis of internal business environment covers a wide range of issues that developed in the past two decades mainly as a result of the emergence of the resource based view on strategy (Barney 1991, Rumelt 1991). Unfortunately, as Herrmann (2005) argues, since the RBV did not produce a dominant design, it developed in many different ways identifying key company resources, capacities, core capabilities, dynamic capabilities, ending with the knowledge-based competitive advantages (Johnson et.al 2005, Lynch 2009). At the end it got merged with the positioning school providing a strong academic background to the use of SWOT (used by companies from 1960s) (Linstaed et.al. 2004, p.502). Today there are several models available for the internal analysis. This report will use the Porters value chain (1985), which explains how the company is internally organised to reach its objectives. The chain further serves as a good base for identifying comp anys core capabilities and competencies (Hamel and Phrahald 1990), while the use of the Balance Scorecard (Kaplan and Norton 1996) as a tool, complements Porters Value chain as it provides the measures and the benchmarks against which the companys internal performance is measured in line with corporate goals. 2.2.1. Value Chain Analysis Zurich Financial is one of the largest insurance groups in the world serving approximately 60,000 people in more than 170 countries (Zurich Insurance 2010). Its value chain is developed using information from companys Annual reports. Table 2. Zurich Insurance Value Chain Analysis PROFIT MARGIN Firm Infrastructure (ZI Annual report 2009a) Successful integration of activities in a strong international value-chain with highly developed IT infrastructure; Centralised organisational structure, but with strong local adaptation decision making as products depends on national legal requirements and culture (EB 2008); Companywide culture emphasising customer centric behaviour. Human Resource Management (ZI Annual report 2009, ZI Business Review 2009,EB 2008) Recruitment and selection of the best high qualified teams of employees; Succession planning structures; Global approach to leadership development; Continuous training and development; Global performance management,; Global learning management system; Compensation programs with variable remuneration designed to encourage customer centric behaviour and creativity, but discourage risk-taking (ZI Annual report 2009, p.99); Innovative benefits scheme encouraging employee collaboration; Technology development Heavy investments in technology deployment 0 needs a good security (Insley 2010) Procurement (ZI Annual report 2009) Long-term contracts with major IT suppliers; Procurement systems in place for the other minor suppliers. Inbound logistics Information technology and internet Operations New Product development; Underwriting, Risk management, Investment management; Outbound logistics Forms, design management, filling and printing of the insurance policies. Marketing and sales Strong CRM build on a unique proposition deep customer understanding; Frequent promotional activities; Use of many sales channels and different compensation schemes of third party agents to reach customers but avoiding cannibalisation. After Sale Service Technology driven claims handling and servicing which enable easy fast way to deal with the company (ZI BR 2009b, p.27); Following up the client and its needs; Increasing knowledge on the client needs deep customer understanding; It is important to note, that Porters Value chain is designed to focus on a business unit, rather than on a group comprising of three core business units as Zurich; however, due to the merge of many of its core operations, the value chain can be simplified as provided in the Table above. 2.2.2. The Balance Scorecard The application of the Balance Scorecard propositions (Kaplan and Norton 1996), provides for the capability of measuring the financial and non-financial impact of the operations of the company, seen through measuring four thematic areas: Financial, Customers, Processes and People (Competence). It indicates that Zurich Insurance operating model as presented with the Portes Value chain, resulted in the 5th global rank of the Company in 2009 with an annual increase of the operating profit margin of 8% (target at 10%) (Zurich Insurance 2009b). The company in 2005, had a significant improvement in companys operations from 2007, when the group reported a decrease of 64.9% with a decrease in net profits of 46.8% . In the more mature countries, UK, US, Switzerland and Japan, it is among the top three insurers on every service (Zurich Insurance 2009b). Zurich strongest business unit is the general insurance, which brings the highest revenues and profits ((Zurich Insurance 2009b p.13), and with USD 34,157 million in premium fees, reflects the immense scale of companys global operations. Zurich Insurance employees more than 60 000 employees globally are one of its main stakeholder groups. Employees receive trainings and developments, while a sophisticated annually survey measures employee satisfaction (Zurich Insurance 2009b, p.35). The group as well implements annual customer feedback surveys. 2.2.3. Core Competences and Capabilities The core capability of Zurich lies in its right combination of tangible (finances, people, premises) and intangible resources (knowledge, expertise, culture and brand) (Grant 2005, p.140). Zurichs strong risk management knowledge combined with its social capital, supported with strong companys culture based on trust and knowledge-sharing, and its innovative, but risk-averse provision of new solutions, differentiates the company from the rest at the market and is the essence of its core competency and competitive advantage (Zurich Insurance 2009b). The strong customer relationship and customer dependability increase Zurich Insurance ability to introduce new products, charge premium price on certain products and cross-sell on others. It as well builds on the strong and unique Culture, which as Kingl (2010) argues is Zurichs Unique Selling Proposition, or Unique Culture Proposition. 2.2.4. Zurich Insurance Culture Web To better understand the premise of Zurichs UCP, we will use the culture web tool as recommended by Johnson et.al. (2005 p.202), based on the preceding analysis Zurich Insuranc and on the findings of Kingl (2010) case study 2.2.5. Identified Strengths and Weaknesses The company is characterised with a strong market position, a strong brand, a unique, value delivering culture and an impressive financial performance in terms of profits and revenues (compared to the results from 2008). Moreover, the company has an impressive record of successful integrations with acquisitions which indicates that it is using the opportunities presented from the shakeout phase of the industry business cycle (Zurich Insurance 2010). There are only very few weaknesses. First, the operating profit margin is still bellow the target of 10%. Second, the group is highly dependent from the revenues coming from the general insurance segment which participates with 53% in the operating profit. Third, the risk management system of the general insurance segment must improve to provide better capacity for accumulating larger number of claims in cases of natural or other type of disaster, having in mind that the main impact of the increased claims in these areas impacted the low financial results in 2007. Summary of the current situation impact- SWOT The current external and internal situational impact as provided with SWOT and with the telescopic Observation Framework (Panagiotou and Wijnen 2005) in the table below identifies several important areas of development for the company in the period to come. In line with its corporate objectives, Zurich should: exploit the good opportunities that come from the growth in the emerging and the developed markets; improve its operations, especially the operating profit margin. In addition, as the companys operations are extremely vulnerable to the effects of the climate change and the global governance gap, and as its interests are aligned with the interests of the majority of stakeholders (which is not the case in many industries as the oil or tobacco industry), it should make the CSR at the core of its strategic positioning in line with the model of Porter and Keller (2006). It can be done through promoting its knowledge, analysis and insightful perspective regarding the global risks as much as possible, and positioning in the minds of its current and potential customers as a business genuinely interested in reducing these effects. Marketing Objectives Five year plan Marketing objectives are specific and quantitative benchmarks of marketing goals that guide the implementation of marketing plans (Ferrell and Hartline 2008, p.140). Objectives exist because marketing goals without measurements are meaningless. Researchers and practitioners (Armstrong 2009 et.al., McDonald 2008, Kotler and Keller 2006) emphasise that they must reflect: (1) the corporate and business objectives; (2) the target market needs and companys competitive capability to serve these markets; (3) the industry and markets evolution, and be (4)SMART (Sustainable, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound). In line with the findings of the preceding analysis, and the Telescopic Framework (Table 3) the following marketing objectives should guide the Zurich Insurance five year plan: Increase its market share at the emerging markets, in all targeted segments, but in particular in the non-life segment which is underdeveloped; Increase its penetration at the mature markets of the developing countries thorough targeting current and new segments (the ageing population needs); Make Corporate Social Responsibility part of its positioning and tide it strongly to the word help associated with its customer centric culture and its strong brand. The CSR will reinforce the positioning of the brand across all segments. Marketing Strategies For accomplishing these objectives, the companys choice of market activities will depend on its choice of strategic development strategy. 4.1 Ansoff s Matrix According to Johnson et.al. (2005, pp: 341-347) the Ansoff product/market can be used for identifying directions for strategic development, taking into account the product/market coverage and the strategic capabilities of the company. Figure 6 Ainsoff Matrix of Zurich Insurance Market Development New capabilities (existing products in new markets) Life and non-life penetration into the emerging markets; Market Development New segments Increasing the scope of existing life insurance policies to certain segment of the ageing population at the mature markets in the developing world. Diversification with new capabilities (new products at new markets) Not suggested at the moment, as the finances are required to fuel the growth in the mature and the emerging markets. Market penetration Penetration and market share accumulation on the existing markets through acquisitions. Product development with new capabilities (new products at existing markets) New products for the ageing population at the mature markets in the developing world. 6. Marketing Implementation 7Ps According to practitioners (Kotler and Keller 2006, p), the implementation of the marketing strategies is achieved through making decisions regarding the content of the offer (product), its price, how it will be delivered to the customers and what distribution channels will be used, i.e. the 4Ps of the marketing mix. The 4Ps of the marketing mix were introduced in the 70s of the past century, and since then dominate the methodology used in strategic marketing. As Kotler et.al. (2008) services have three very distinctive characteristics compared to the physical products as are intangibility, inseparability and perishability. These characteristics made it difficult for the service practitioners to adapt the 4Ps model to their offerings, which is why the model expended with three additional elements: People, Processes and Physical assets. In its essence the insurance industry is a service industry, which is why the designed marketing mix will have 7Ps and will aim at accomplishing compa nys marketing objectives in terms of market share, development, or penetration. The 7Ps implementation model for the three business units of Zurich Insurance is given in Table 4. Table 3. 7Ps Segments General Insurance (non-life) Global Life (life) Farmers Product/Service: 1. The traditional product offer, strengthened with new products at the mature markets; 2. New products for the needs of the emerging markets. The traditional product offer, strengthened with new products in the pension insurance; The traditional product offer, strengthened with new products due to the good prospects of the market; Price: Price reflects the regulatory requirements in each of the sectors and the intense rivalry in some segments. Place:

Harley-Davidson’s Just-in-Time (JIT) Journey Essay

Case Summary This case is about the Just-in-Time (JIT) implementation at Harley-Davidson Motor Company. After World War II, they faced with competition from Japanese companies, which were able to produce better quality motorcycles at comparatively lower cost. Harley-Davidson found that there were three most important practices of Japanese companies, which differentiated their production process from that of others: JIT manufacturing, employee involvement, and statistical process control. Harley-Davidson adopted those three principles and formulated different strategies to make this move possible and to make its manufacturing processes as efficient as that of its Japanese counterparts. The company finally succeeded in achieving its goals of reducing the cost of production, improving quality, and increasing its market share. With the company again getting into hard times, this case presents how it was trying to focus on â€Å"continuous improvement† in a bid to bring itself back into profits . Question #1: Why has continuous improvement been so successful at Harley Davidson? Continuous improvement is ongoing effort to improve products, services or processes. These efforts can seek â€Å"incremental† improvement over time or â€Å"breakthrough† improvement all at once. Under continuous improvement, a task or series of tasks were identified as the problem area in the business process, manufacturing operations, and product development where improvement could be made. Harley-Davidson required the active participation and commitment of its employees to help in eliminating unnecessary steps and complexity for the process and to bring more flexibility into the system. Continuous improvement helped the company identify savings opportunities and put those mechanisms into places, also improved the quality standards and the reduced the waste in the forms of cost, time and defects. Therefore with a year, all Harley-Davidson’s manufacturing operations were being converted to JIT: components and sub-assemblies were â€Å"pulled† through the production system in response to final demand. Question #2: Considering the road ahead, what specific actions can Harley Davidson take that will move them toward their goals? Harley Davidson could keep doing â €Å"continuous improvement.† Take a closer look at its operations in a bid to get its cost structure right and manage shipments consistent with the expected slowing of consumer spending. For continuous improvement, it’s begins with identify the current process and take a vote on which process would most benefit from improvement, then map out the existing process using a project board like A3 report. After fully understand the process, identify areas of opportunity surrounding the mapped process, to do this teams should analyze the current process and scrutinize areas that may be streamlined. Finally, the team will decide on a new process. In order to reduce excess capacity or costs and gain efficiencies, the company has consolidated some of its production facilities, and parts, accessories and general merchandise distribution operations to improve its overall process. The company also made it a high priority to manage supply in line with demand. In addition, the company started restructuring its production process to reduce complexity and create the flexibility to produce multiple product families on the same assembly line every day at the beginning of 2009.

Save Our Planet

Are we aware that we are slowly destroying our planet? We should think about our earth’s condition day by day because our planet is in great danger. We are very lucky that we can enjoy everything on earth like water, air, natural resource and others to be enjoyed. Nowadays we all know and realize how important it is to protect our planet, but we are mostly too busy or too lazy to make a big change that would improve our lifestyle and save the environment.Many simple ways we can do to take part to conserve our planet such as recycle, reuse and reduce all the things that we have. For example, if we have tons of clothes or things we want to get rid of but they are still usable, give them to someone who needs them so you will protect the environment. Many people do not know we can save energy when we turn off the household devices. Turn off the light when we leave a room, even if we intend to return. It is an easy habit to take up which will save a lot of moneyNo matter how busy w e are, we also can be one of the environment activists or volunteers in an association to increase the public and media awareness to protect our lovely planet such as running a zoo, overseeing conservation projects and caring for pets. We also need to change our lifestyle and practice a simple life like eating wisely and healthily, reduce wastage and make a pledge to be more earth friendly. Quit smoking and do not ever start if you are a non-smoker. In addition, driving is one of the biggest causes of pollution.Walk or use a bike if the journey is a short one because if we drive every day, it will contribute to air pollution. At least with this action, it would minimize the traffic jams, so use public transport like buses or train. In a nutshell, generally all of us know that earth’s ozone layer is decreasing. There is nothing new here but if we follow at least some of these tips, we can be proud of ourselves by participating in the protection of the environment. Save the ear th for our next future generation because our planet gives back to us what we have put in it! FARIZAIn addition, driving is one of the biggest causes of pollution. Walk or use bike if the journey is a short one because if we drive every day, it will contributed to air pollution. At least with this action would be minimized the traffic jammed so started from now go to anywhere by walking, cycling or use public transport like buses or train. In a nutshell, generally all of us know that earth ozone layer getting decrease. There is nothing new here but if we follow at least some of these tips, we can be proud of ourselves participating in the protection of the environment.Save the earth for our next future generation because our planet gives back to us what we have put in it! Many simple ways we can do to take part to conserve our planet such as recycle, reuse and reduce all the things that we have. We could donate our goods. For example, if we have tons of clothes or things we want to get rid of but they are still usable, give them to someone who needs them. We may also choose to give them to associations and they may sell them and collect a little money. Not only will you protect the environment, but you will also contribute to a good cause.Many people do not know we can save energy when we do not use a house device, turn it off. If we do not watch television, turn it off. Turn off the light when we leave a room, even if we intend to return. It is an easy habit to take up which will save a lot of money. No matter how busy we are, we also can be one of the volunteer in an association to increase the public and media awareness to protect our lovely planet. We also need to change our lifestyle and practice a simple life like eat wisely and healthy, reduce wastage and make a pledge to be more earth friendly.Quit smoking and do not ever start if you are a non- smoker. Do we aware that we are slowly destroying our planet? We should think about our earth condition day by day because our planet is in great danger. We are very lucky can enjoy everything on earth likes water, air, natural resource and others to be enjoyed. Nowadays we all know and realize how importance to protect our planet, but we are mostly too busy or too lazy to put up big change that would improve our lifestyle and save the environment. LET’S SAVE OUR LOVELY PLANET!! Save Our Planet Numerous environmental concerns impact our planet on a global level. Our mother earth is the only planet in the solar system known to sustain life forms of all kinds and we the intellectual sophisticated beings with opposing thumbs were chosen to rule over her. It is evident today that we have managed to begin to deplete the vast natural resources she has provided to us. Gross misuse, greed, and carelessness have all contributed to this situation. Ensuring the survival of our species and our planet requires that we realize globally our moral and ethical obligations to protect our planet. The first issue that we must look at is the fact that we are overpopulating our planet and this has serious repercussions. Repercussions such as limited resources like food and water due to overuse and overpopulation. For instance, in the days of Lewis and Clark one was able to dispose of waste in the waters and good old mother earth would filter the waste naturally. Now however, due to overpopulation the earth is no longer able to naturally filter the waste we are asking her to filter. The rational person realizes that if there are not enough resources to support the current population we must curtail and change this behavior. We live on a planet with a limited amount of space and resources. Thus one would naturally conclude, eventually you will run out of both. We cannot ethically put restrictions on pro-creating and there are no easy answers in this arena. However, in light of today’s technology explosion some considerations that come to mind are providing global education in population management and removing the option of children born to people who are drug addicts, alcoholics, and who have psychological disorders like insanity. Removing the right of such people to procreate and education will not be the ultimate solution but will undoubtedly produce a more responsible society. Since this is not an option currently, we are left to ponder how can this most essential matter be addressed seriously without judgment to sustain our natural order for survival? We must look at what we are doing to our planet and take responsible action as a species to at least reduce the overuse of land and pollution we are causing. A variety of pollutants are affecting our planet. We see pollutants everywhere. To name just a few, there is garbage on the streets, in rivers and oceans. The less obvious pollutants to the human eye are burning coal and fuel. It is said that burning coal and fuel can increase the level of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. We the intellectual human species have done this massive but reversible damage to our planet that threatens to endanger the possibility of survival for every species in the world. To begin with, our oceans and rivers have been polluted with toxic waste, garbage, medical waste, plastics, and even large oil spills. Toxic waste, garbage, medical waste, and oil spills cause destruction to marine and wildlife by infecting them with PCB’s, mercury, and diseases from medical and toxic waste. Toxic waste gets into our oceans and rivers from leaking landfills, dumps, mines and farms. It is then digested by the organisms in the ocean and rivers which are then eaten by other larger animals in the food chain. This affects the human population by infecting and contaminating the food source within the waters and possibly eventually ending up on dinner tables around the world. Consuming contaminated food can cause diseases that can spread throughout the world. Some of the diseases that can be spread by a polluted ocean and polluted sea life to humans are hepatitis, HIV, aids, and viruses such as pneumonia. If seals and dolphins are washing up dead on beaches, what then could happen to the human population? According to the website www. library. thinkquest. org Ocean Pollution, lead and other toxic waste can cause birth defects, low IQ, slow growth and hearing problems for small children (School, 2002). Isn’t it then the human species responsibility to restrict this kind of pollution? Plastics on the other hand do not contaminate our food sources, plastics simply kill them. For instance in Australia a veterinarian tried to save a baby whale that was sick. The baby whale did not survive. The veterinarian performed an autopsy on the baby whale and found a plastic bag of corn, a plastic bait bag, and some heavy pieces of plastic sheeting that were blocking the bowels of the baby whale (Brower, 1989). Killing animals is not the only problem with plastics; there are numerous others that require mention as well. For one thing plastic is considered a non-degradable substance. To be more precise, it can take centuries to decompose. So where does all of the plastic waste go? In landfills, the ocean, and to some extent it is recycled and reused. Recycling and reusing are good measures for managing the plastic waste that is filling our planet. However, it requires the human species as a whole to be involved and committed to the general idea of recycling and reusing. Some measures that have been taken are using biodegradable bags instead of plastic bags, melting down the plastics and using them in different applications. For example, they can make things like combs, fencing, and trash cans out of the number 2 plastics. Continuing to find ways to moderate the abuse of products such as plastics is an important endeavor we must strive to perfect. Using new technologies and working globally as a species is one way in which we will be able to bring about positive change and aid in the recuperation of our environment. Another issue of concern is air pollution. Air pollution damages the ozone and causes acid rain. Acid rain is caused by smoke and gases that come from factories and cars that run on fossil fuels (Acid Rain, 2000). According to the U. S. nvironmental agency acid rain causes stunted growth in forests and the leaves to turn yellow and even fall off of trees completely in some cases. In some cases trees have died out completely with no apparent cause other than acid rain (Effects of acid rain, 2007). Acid rain also erodes the paint on our vehicles. Erosion of the paint on our vehicles is an obvio us form of tangible evidence that acid rain is harmful to our environment and our species. Worse, imagine what damage it causes to our soil, plants, and water. If it erodes the paint on our cars, what erosion then is happening in our bodies that consume the food grown in the soil? Damage to the ozone can contribute to global warming and can bring about change in what is known as the greenhouse gas effect (Global Warming). The greenhouse gas effect is a natural process that regulates the earth’s temperature. â€Å"The sun heats the earth and some of this heat is trapped in the atmosphere by clouds and greenhouse gases, such as water vapor and carbon dioxide† (Global Warming). The disappearance of greenhouse gases would cause our planet to be 60 degrees cooler than it is and would no longer be able to sustain life (Global Warming). As the suns energy passes through the earth’s atmosphere it is reflected or sent back to space with the help of clouds and other atmospheric particles. Clouds, gases (ozone), and atmospheric particles absorb some energy. The remaining energy is then reflected back to space. â€Å"On average 51% of the suns radiation reaches the surface of the earth† (Pidwirny, 2009). This energy is used to heat the ground, melt ice, and snow, and to evaporate water and in photosynthesis of plants. The heated debate about global warming continues to carry on. For instance, I was in Mt. Rushmore with my family on vacation and we took a trip up to the monument. We were surprised to see a person on top of President Lincoln’s head. We asked the Park ranger if that was normal she indicated that at that moment we were in the most secure monument in the nation. They were on high alert because a group of green peace protestors had decided to hang a global warming sign right next to President Lincolns head. We asked what the penalties for such an act was and she indicated that it was a federal offense and the activists would definitely receive a huge monetary fine and serve some prison time. I wondered if in the end that type of protest was worth the penalties the green peace group will pay. Ethically and morally speaking the green peace group broke the law. The point the green peace group was trying to make could have been made just as easily if the group would have held the sign up at the main entrance. On the other side of the debate of global warming it is said that our planet undergoes cyclical changes and there is scientific evidence indicating as such dating back 3. 3 to 3 million years ago in what was known as the mid-pliocene period (Anonymous, 2008). Fossils that were examined by scientists indicated that the planet was 4. 5 F degrees warmer than today. That begs an answer to the question is pollution really the only culprit for global warming? That being said, the human species has the responsibility to make every attempt to try and preserve our planet. Addressing these issues is of utmost importance. The consequences of leaving them unaddressed could be severe for generations to come. We must come to the collective conclusion that as a collective whole we are the dominant species and it is up to us to preserve and protect our planet. This is where moral and ethical considerations must be made in order to understand what we are doing to destroy our planet. By understanding how we are destroying our planet we can make ethical and moral considerations to help preserve our planet. In doing so, we can help to ensure our existence and the survival of our species as well as all other species on the planet. The basic view throughout history has been anthropocentric or human centeredness (Environmental Ethics, 2008). This position in its simplest form deems all things revolve around the use of the human species. Therefore, we are encouraged to take care of our environment for our continued survival and use. In order to continue to survive and thrive in the manner we are accustomed to, we require many of the things that are said to be polluting the environment. For example, technology used in our day to day lives such as cell phones, computers, household appliances, and televisions have components such as plastics and batteries that are not biodegradable, recyclable, or environmentally friendly. Though many environmentalists do not like to admit it, we require many of these things to survive in today’s day and age. Thus different ideas need to be shared in order for our species to evolve in a less destructive manner. Can we do things differently to clean up our planet? The answer is yes. It is not the job of large corporations or the government to clean up our collective mess. It is the human species job as a whole to do what is right in order to ensure our species survival. Starting small individually will help promote a consciousness regarding our current situation. If we as a people decide to clean up our act on a small level then corporations and big business will follow suit. Change cannot happen overnight. Many of the problems we face relate to the economics of our society. Change has to happen slowly in order to ensure the survival of our species. For example, we are accustomed to driving our cars whenever we need to. Cars use gas, and gas pollutes the environment so we need cleaner cars. Producing clean cars costs an enormous amount of money to the current manufacturers because they are not tooled to do such a thing. Therefore, there is a death required within the old manufacturers and old ideas in order for a rebirth to commence and bring about positive responsible change. Our ethical obligation is to ourselves, the human race. By ensuring our survival as a species we ensure the survival of the rest of the planet. As Aristotle maintained â€Å"nature has made all things specifically for the sake of man† (Environmental Ethics, 2007). With this quote in mind it is imperative that we act upon the things we can change and move in a direction that ensures the survival of our planet. After all we were given the intellect and a strong sense to survive. In conclusion, it is not too late to address these issues ethically. New ways of thinking need to be established regarding our ethical and moral obligations to our planet. As professor Alasdair states â€Å"ethicists need not only respond to those they criticize for failure but to issue alternative means to figuring out the problems we face. † New ideas and solutions to old problems will bring about change. We the human species have the capacity to learn from our mistakes and correct them. In the end it is about survival of the fittest and I believe the human race is all about survival. Save Our Planet Are we aware that we are slowly destroying our planet? We should think about our earth’s condition day by day because our planet is in great danger. We are very lucky that we can enjoy everything on earth like water, air, natural resource and others to be enjoyed. Nowadays we all know and realize how important it is to protect our planet, but we are mostly too busy or too lazy to make a big change that would improve our lifestyle and save the environment.Many simple ways we can do to take part to conserve our planet such as recycle, reuse and reduce all the things that we have. For example, if we have tons of clothes or things we want to get rid of but they are still usable, give them to someone who needs them so you will protect the environment. Many people do not know we can save energy when we turn off the household devices. Turn off the light when we leave a room, even if we intend to return. It is an easy habit to take up which will save a lot of moneyNo matter how busy w e are, we also can be one of the environment activists or volunteers in an association to increase the public and media awareness to protect our lovely planet such as running a zoo, overseeing conservation projects and caring for pets. We also need to change our lifestyle and practice a simple life like eating wisely and healthily, reduce wastage and make a pledge to be more earth friendly. Quit smoking and do not ever start if you are a non-smoker. In addition, driving is one of the biggest causes of pollution.Walk or use a bike if the journey is a short one because if we drive every day, it will contribute to air pollution. At least with this action, it would minimize the traffic jams, so use public transport like buses or train. In a nutshell, generally all of us know that earth’s ozone layer is decreasing. There is nothing new here but if we follow at least some of these tips, we can be proud of ourselves by participating in the protection of the environment. Save the ear th for our next future generation because our planet gives back to us what we have put in it! FARIZAIn addition, driving is one of the biggest causes of pollution. Walk or use bike if the journey is a short one because if we drive every day, it will contributed to air pollution. At least with this action would be minimized the traffic jammed so started from now go to anywhere by walking, cycling or use public transport like buses or train. In a nutshell, generally all of us know that earth ozone layer getting decrease. There is nothing new here but if we follow at least some of these tips, we can be proud of ourselves participating in the protection of the environment.Save the earth for our next future generation because our planet gives back to us what we have put in it! Many simple ways we can do to take part to conserve our planet such as recycle, reuse and reduce all the things that we have. We could donate our goods. For example, if we have tons of clothes or things we want to get rid of but they are still usable, give them to someone who needs them. We may also choose to give them to associations and they may sell them and collect a little money. Not only will you protect the environment, but you will also contribute to a good cause.Many people do not know we can save energy when we do not use a house device, turn it off. If we do not watch television, turn it off. Turn off the light when we leave a room, even if we intend to return. It is an easy habit to take up which will save a lot of money. No matter how busy we are, we also can be one of the volunteer in an association to increase the public and media awareness to protect our lovely planet. We also need to change our lifestyle and practice a simple life like eat wisely and healthy, reduce wastage and make a pledge to be more earth friendly.Quit smoking and do not ever start if you are a non- smoker. Do we aware that we are slowly destroying our planet? We should think about our earth condition day by day because our planet is in great danger. We are very lucky can enjoy everything on earth likes water, air, natural resource and others to be enjoyed. Nowadays we all know and realize how importance to protect our planet, but we are mostly too busy or too lazy to put up big change that would improve our lifestyle and save the environment. LET’S SAVE OUR LOVELY PLANET!!

The Rise of the Beast in Lord of the Flies Essay - 2349 Words

Explain the emergence and rise of the beast in Lord of the flies by William Golding: Introduction. (1911 - 1993) Golding wrote Lord of the Flies shortly after learning of the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. Here is some information about him. He was born in 1911 at Saint Columb Minor in Cornwall, England, Sir William Gerald Golding was educated at the Marlborough Grammar School, where his father taught, and later at Brasenose College, Oxford. Although educated to be a scientist at the wishes of his father, he soon developed a great interest in literature, becoming first devoted to Anglo-Saxon and then writing poetry. At Oxford he studied English literature and philosophy. Following a short period of time in†¦show more content†¦His subsequent works include Pincher Martin (1956), the story of a guilt-ridden naval officer who faces an agonizing death, Free Fall (1959), and The Spire (1964), each of which deal with the depravity of human nature. The Spire is an allegory concerning the protagonists obsessive determination to build a cathedral spire regardless of the consequences. As well as his novels and his early collection of poems, Golding also published a play entitled The Brass Butterfly in 1958 and two collections of essays, The Hot Gates (1965) and A Moving Target (1982). Goldings final novels include Darkness Visible (1979), the story of a boy horribly injured during the London blitz of World War II, and Rites of Passage (1980). This novel won the Booker McConnell Prize, the most prestigious award for English literature, and inspired two sequels, Close Quarters (1987) and Fire Down Below (1989). These three novels portray life aboard a ship during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1983, Golding received the Nobel Prize for literature for his novels, which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today, and in 1988 Queen Elizabeth II knighted him. Sir William died in 1993 in Perranarworthal, Cornwall. At the time of his deathShow MoreRelatedThe Inner Human Beast in Lord of the Flies by William Golding696 Words   |  3 PagesIn Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses symbolism and parables to illustrate and define the human inner beast. There are some main ideas that William Golding sets forth in Lord of the Flies. These main ideas are impulses of mankind and they exist within all human beings in the world. The author talks about how mankind and society gives us rules and duties. Like to act peacefully, have moral standards, and how to accept others and their views. 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