Asclepius, God of Healing in Greek Roman Mythology

Asclepius, God of Healing in Greek Roman Mythology While the healing god Asclepius is not a major player in Greek mythology, he is a pivotal one. Counted as one of the Argonauts, Asclepius came into contact with many of the major Greek heroes. Asclepius was also a causal figure in a drama played out between Apollo, Death, Zeus, the Cyclops, and Hercules. This story comes to us through Euripides tragedy, Alcestis. The Parents of Asclepius Apollo (the brother of the virginal goddess Artemis) was no more chaste than any of the other (male) gods. His lovers and would-be lovers included Marpessa, Coronis, Daphne (one who got away by having herself transformed into a tree), Arsinoe, Cassandra (who paid for her scorn with the gift of prophecy no one believed), Cyrene, Melia, Eudne, Thero, Psamathe, Philonis, Chrysothemis, Hyacinthos, and Cyparissos. As a result of their union with Apollo, most of the women produced sons. One of these sons was Asclepius. The mother is debated. She may have been Coronis or Arsinoe, but whoever the mother was, she didnt live long enough to give birth to her healing god son. The Creation of Asclepius Apollo was a jealous god who was mightily displeased when a crow revealed that his lover was to marry a mortal, so he punished the messenger by changing the color of the formerly white bird to the now more familiar black. Apollo also punished his lover by burning her, although some say it was Artemis who actually disposed of the faithless Coronis (or Arsinoe). Before Coronis was completely incinerated, Apollo rescued the unborn infant from the flames. A similar event occurred when Zeus rescued the unborn Dionysus from Semele and sewed up the fetus in his thigh. Asclepius may have been born in Epidauros (Epidaurus) of acoustically perfect theater fame [Stephen Bertman: The Genesis of Science]. Asclepius Upbringing - The Centaur Connection The poor, newborn Asclepius needed someone to bring him up, so Apollo thought of the wise centaur Chiron (Cheiron) who seems to have been around forever or at least since the time of Apollos father, Zeus. Chiron roamed the countryside of Crete while the king of the gods was growing up, hiding from his own father. Chiron trained several of the great Greek heroes (Achilles, Actaeon, Aristaeus, Jason, Medus, Patroclus, and Peleus) and willingly undertook the education of Asclepius. Apollo was also a god of healing, but it wasnt he, but Chiron who taught the gods son Asclepius the healing arts. Athena also helped. She gave Asclepius the precious blood of the Gorgon Medusa. The Story of Alcestis The blood of the Gorgon, which Athena gave Asclepius, came from two very different veins. The blood from the right side could heal mankind even from death, while the blood from the left vein could kill, as Chiron would ultimately experience first-hand. Asclepius matured into a capable healer, but after he brought mortals back to life Capaneus and Lycurgus (killed during the war of the Seven Against Thebes), and Hippolytus, son of Theseus a worried Zeus slew Asclepius with a thunderbolt. Apollo was enraged, but getting mad at the king of the gods was futile, so he took out his anger on the creators of the thunderbolts, the Cyclops. Zeus, enraged in his turn, was prepared to hurl Apollo to Tartarus, but another god intervened possibly Apollos mother, Leto. Zeus commuted his sons sentence to a years term as herdsman to a human, King Admetus. During his term in mortal servitude, Apollo grew fond of Admetus, a man doomed to die young. Since there was no longer an Asclepius with his Medusa-potion to resurrect the king, Admetus would be gone forever when he died. As a favor, Apollo negotiated a way for Admetus to avoid Death. If someone would die for Admetus, Death would let him go. The only person willing to make such a sacrifice was Admetus beloved wife, Alcestis. On the day Alcestis was substituted for Admetus and given to Death, Hercules arrived at the palace. He wondered about the display of mourning. Admetus tried to convince him nothing was wrong, but the servants, who missed their mistress, revealed the truth. Hercules set off for the Underworld to arrange for Alcestis return to life.​ The Offspring of Asclepius Asclepius hadnt been killed immediately after leaving the centaurs school. He had had time to engage in various heroic endeavors, including fathering his share of children. His progeny would and did carry on the healing arts. Sons Machaon and Podalirius led 30 Greek ships to Troy from the city of Eurytos. It is unclear which of the two brothers healed Philoctetes during the Trojan War. Asclepius daughter is Hygeia (connected with our word hygiene), goddess of health.​​ Other children of Asclepius are  Janiscus, Alexenor, Aratus, Hygieia, Aegle, Iaso, and Panaceia. The Name of Asclepius You may find the name of Asclepius spelled Asculapius or Aesculapius (in Latin) and Asklepios (also, in Greek). Shrines of Asclepius The best known of the roughly 200 Greek shrines and temples of Asclepius were at Epidaurus, Cos, and Pergamum. These were places of healing with sanatoria, dream therapy, snakes, regimes of diet and exercise, and baths. The name of such a shrine to Asclepius is asclepieion/asklepieion (pl. asclepieia). Hippocrates is thought to have studied at Cos and Galen at Pergamum. Sources Homer: Iliad 4.193-94 and 218-19Homeric Hymn to AsclepiusSearch Perseus for Apollodorus 3.10Pausanias 1.23.4, 2.10.2, 2.29.1, 4.3.1.

Buddhist Economics essays

Buddhist Economics essays Most people think that religion and economics dont mix. So you would think the same in the case with Buddhism and economics. But actually the there is a set of rules that go along with our modern day economics that have their own meanings. Buddhists believe that spiritual health and well being go hand in hand. They use the fundamentals of practical ecnomics and mix it with the values and morals of Buddhism. The Buddhist point of view takes the function of work to be at least threefold: to give a man a chance to utilize and develop his faculties; to enable him to overcome his ego-centeredness by joining with other people in a common task; and to bring forth the goods and services needed for a becoming existence. In modern economics, when there is a demand for say, beer, it is supplied by production and distributed to the consumers. When it is consumed, that demand is satisfied. Modern economics stop thinking here at the satisfaction of the demand. There is no interest in what happens after the demand is satisfied. Economics inspired by Buddhism would be concerned with how activities influence cause and condition. This means looking at the three conditions of humans, the individual, society and nature or the environment. In the case with the beer, the person would ask how does this influence the individual, society, and the environment ...

Photo Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Photo Assignment - Essay Example d have to feed and teach a baby how to walk and talk, encourage a child to love school on their first day of being away from home, to develop manners and know that not all misunderstandings could be settled through a fight, support their chosen careers even when it is not really a status quo job, and learn to accept mistakes and learn from their own children as well (Theisen, C., n.d.). The perfect visualization of the love and responsibility that is brought about by parenthood is summed up into these photos above. Parents all have this innate sacrificial love for their kids no matter who they are or how they were brought up by their own parents. For sure, there are differences in parenting styles or approach that different parents take but what is for sure is that they all do it out of love for their kids and the desire to make them a better person in the future and fully equipped to face the real world and what is out there. Theisen, C. (n.d.). 8 Essential Parental Responsibilities - Parent Education - Parenting - Family Resource. Family Resource. Retrieved December 11, 2012, from

Service Learning Project Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Service Learning Project Paper - Essay Example I was looking forward, with a lot of enthusiasm, for the day to arrive when we would participate in the volunteering work. My main role in the service learning project was to supervise the whole exercise and to ensure that everything went on well as planned. As the supervisor of the project, I guided my group members in carrying out the activities that we were asked to do in the non-profit organization. To guide my colleagues well in the volunteering project, I took the initiative to start working, i.e. storing shoes, cleaning, and vacuuming the carpet. My colleagues followed suit and within the three allocated hours we had done a lot of work for the non-profit organization. After completing the work, I felt that everything went on well as planned. This is because by the end of the three hours that we were supposed to work, we had completed all the tasks that were allocated to us. However, although everything went on well as planned, there was room for improvement. This is because many of us were not familiar with the work environment and the employees of the organization whom we were working with. For this reason, we did not relate as closely as we ought to have related with the employees of the organization. Had we visited the organization prior to going for the volunteer work, we could have familiarized ourselves well with the environment and the employees of the organization and this could have led to a more productive relationship between us and the employees of the non-profit organization. After working together, I feel that my team had a real spirit of team work. This is because we worked well together and all of us seemed quite enthusiastic about the work. The only thing that I feel we should have done differently as a group is visiting the organisation together to familiarize ourselves with the environment and the employees of the organisation before going for the volunteer work. I, however, feel

Exploring the connections between the mask of masculinity and the mask Essay

Exploring the connections between the mask of masculinity and the mask of femininity - Essay Example A study of the first chapter ‘Saplings in the Storm’ of Mary Pipher’s Reviving Ophelia and the first chapter ‘Inside the World of Boys: Behind the Mask of Masculinity’ of William Pollock’s Real Boys give an insight into the complex psyche of adolescent girls and adolescent boys in coping with societal expectations and norms. ‘Saplings in the Storm’ and ‘Inside the World of Boys’ approach the same issue from two different perspectives. Both take us back to the world of adolescence. While ‘Saplings in the Storm’ tells us about the distress of adolescent girls, ‘Inside the World of Boys’ presents the struggle of teenage boys. In both the cases the young boys and the girls are trying hard to be masculine and feminine rather than naturally grow up into men and women. A girl has always been an enigma to a boy and vice versa. It is but natural that adolescent girls and boys fall on and off in love. A fantasy soon gives way to disillusionment as one sees the other without the mask. They are in love with the mask which is based on unreal concepts of masculinity and femininity. The adolescent boys and girls pass through the same experience of trying to fit into the mask. They struggle to play a certain role and sink in depression when this unnatural struggle takes a toll on their mental health. Today most of the young girls would go to any extent to be the femme fatale with killer looks and a perfect 10 figure or be that pretty young thing. Sadly enough, this is the recent trend of femininity. Pipher begins her chapter ‘Saplings in the Storm’ with the example of her cousin Polly who gave up her tomboyish and spontaneous self to become a social butterfly only to be accepted by her peers. (Cited in Schmidt et al) Pollock in his ‘Inside the World of Boys’ points out to a similar situation of how boys try to live the myths about masculinity. (Cited in Schmidt et al) Boys don’t cry, boys are tough, boys are

Friedrich Nietzsche On Death Of God Philosophy Essay

Friedrich Nietzsche On Death Of God Philosophy Essay History has welcomed many great thinkers and philosophers, offering new and sometimes revolutionary ideologies which can completely modify a society. From his rejection of Judeo-Christian morality and his commentary on the Death of God, Nietzsche had become one of the most prominent philosophers in Europe. Often, his philosophy isnt fully appreciated or acknowledged because of ad hominem attacks from the insanity of his later years, and the denouncement of his work because of its association with Hitler(Solomon XVIII), which is confused with causation. Nietzsche is sometimes credited with being an influential figure in Hitlers life, and has gained a notion of guilt by association. His philosophies were greatly misinterpreted and omitted by Hitler, they had opposing ideologies in anti Semitism, his views on race were different and their philosophy on power and Religion. Nietzsche was born and raised in Germany and lived from 1844 or 1900 and is cited to be the first existentialist philosopher. He challenged the foundations of Christianity and presents a life affirming philosophy. The German soldiers in world war one would carry a copy of his book Thus Spoke Zarathustra. He had influenced leading cultural figures from different walks of life.(Solomon) Anti-Semitism was a prominent propaganda tool that had grasped the German nation; it was one of the guiding forces that Hitler had used to gain control(Solomon). During Nietzsches time anti-Semitism was a popular ideology and his sister and brother in law had practiced it vigilantly(Solomon 13) . His heros, as well as most of the people around him were anti Semites so many would conclude on the basis of what his peers believed that he was an anti Semite as well. Nietzsche was also strongly against anti Semitism, although he was critical of the Judeo-Christian morality, one must not instantly relate the two. On several accounts does Nietzsche explain his stance on Jews and Judaism, one not look further then in his book Human, all too Human. He states Every nation, every man has disagreeable, even dangerous characteristics; it is cruel to demand that the Jew should be an exception(Amnation.com) implying that the Jews are not much different from other races. He goes on further to sympathize and even praise the Jews, he had stated that they had the most sorrowful history of all people(Amnation.com) and were responsible for the most effective moral code in the world (Amnation.com). Nietzsche was diagnosed as mentally ill in his later years but still continued to address the issue, in his letters to this sister at the time he was openly hostile to her anti Semitism, he stated the name of Zarathustra is used in every Anti-Semitic Correspondence Sheet, has almost made me sick several times(consciencia.org) the book Thus spoke Zarathustra was used as a sort of literature that they claim shared the same views. He even goes as far as to insult them; he states these accursed anti-Semite deformities shall not sully my idea (consciencia.org). Hitler on several occasions demonstrates his Anti Semitism in Mien kampf Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.(Nobelifs.com) Nietzsche was in direct opposition to Hitler, his writings were corrupted by the misinterpretation of Zarathustra and the people that Nietzsche was around, they believed since he associated with anti Semites that he was among them. The letters to his sister demonstrate otherwise and that ironically enough Nietzsche had sympathized and even praised the Jews The most important ideology to the Nazis is arguably their belief that the Aryan race is the most superior and has the most valued purity. Hitler arrogantly proclaimed his superiority amongst all the races in the world, included the Polish, Slavic, Arab etc. Hitlers use of the term Aryan basically is whoever he proclaimed to be, despite the linguistic and physical similarities of close nations, he considered many non-Aryan. Despite the similar characteristics that most poles have to Germans, Hitler had considered the Poles as non Aryan and had stated that The destruction of Poland is our primary task.(Holocaustforgotten.com) and Heinrich Himmler had also said All Poles will disappear from the world. It is essential that the great German people should consider it as its major task to destroy all Poles.(Holocaustforgotten.com). Hitler had gone on to systematical kill 3 million polish citizens, as well as many other ethnic minorities. The irony in all this is that Nietzsche himself had stated I am a pure blooded Polish Noblemen without a single drop of bad blood, certainly not German blood(Anti-Christ 77), it seems that Hitler had missed this very important piece of information when he read from Nietzsches books. He goes to describe the lofty position that he holds as a Polish man [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] as a pole. You would not need to go back centurys to find instincts as pure as mine in this noblest race on earth(Anti-Christ 78) which implies a sort of arrogance that he demonstrates for his supposed Polish ancestry, which further increases the irony of Hitlers actions. There is dispute however as to whether he is truly of full polish ancestry or not Nietzsche [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] had no proof but it pleased him to think so(Menchen 3), but it is besides to point because regardless he considered himself one, and insulted the German blood line. He further stresses the importance he prescribes to the polish by saying Germany is a great nation [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] because its p eople have so much polish blood in their veins [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] there were giants in Poland at the time of my fore fathers(Menchen 2) he claims that reason that Germany is so great is because of the polish! It is evident that Nietzsche would have greatly disapproved of Hitlers prosecution of Polish people. On the study of eugenics, the selection of desirable traits for humans, Nietzsche actually favored the breeding of a race more intelligent, free-thinking, and less resentful then the folks he saw around him(Solomon 14) although he didnt discuss any ideas of practicing it. The central philosophy of Nietzsches that Hitler and the Nazis had taken was from Genealogy of morals is the blonde Germanic beast (some claim it just states blonde beast) that they take as support for Aryan superiority, the Historian Kelly Ross believes that Nietzsche was racist, although in the context it can be taken in different direction. In the same book Nietzsche all notes down what he thinks as the noble races the Roman, Arabian, German, Japanese nobility as for the Homeric heroes and the Scandinavian Vikings.(Frisian.com) He expressed praise for both Arabian and Japanese who were not Aryan stock, although what Hitler considered Aryan mainly was exclusive to mainland Germany. Hitler and the Nazi regime had o mitted several important texts from Nietzsche and mainly focused on the blonde Germanic beast and a motivational slogan. Nietzsche had claimed polish ancestry and believed the only reasons their society was successful was because of polish blood, if Nietzsche was alive during Hitler time, he would have resented him for this, not supported him. Many people dont consider Hitler not a Christian, based on his actions, not on what he believed or claimed. Whether Hitlers actions represented that of Christ or not is a separate issue, and from what historians can conclude from the evidence they have collected, Hitler was indeed a Christian. For instance, Hitler proclaimed that I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so. And had his soldiers were had belt buckles that said Gott min uns (god with us) and had tried to back up his anti-Semitism with religion. Nietzsche however wasnt Christian; in fact he resented religion, so much that he had created the term God is Dead (Saugstad 2000). Nietzsche philosophy was based on atheism (Saugstad 2000), Nietzsche had a basic acceptance of Feuerbachs view that human beings incented God by devising of any sense of their own powers. It wasnt just it didnt believe in religion, It had resented and criticized it. In his book Anti Christ he writes Christianity is the religion of pity (Saugstad 2000) and was skeptical to the church and its ideology (Saugstad 2000). One of his main objectives was to turn the values of Plato and Christianity upside down(Saugstad 2000), Nietzsche had believed that Christianity promoted weakness and pity, and was blemish on the face of mankind, he disliked it so much that he desired for its extinction. Hitlers justification through Christianity and Nietzsches distaste for Christianity are clearly incompatible. Hitler had manipulated Germany, to the point where his authority was basically absolute in the nation. Nietzsche had appeared to be fairly indifferent to politics he very rarely speaks of politics (swgc.com). Nietzsche also had great distaste for authority, in the book daybreak he states in the face of any authority, one is not allowed to think, [instead] one has to obey!(Eurozine.com), if he was in the state of Germany at this time he would have evidently hated Hitlers totalerian regime, beacuse it contradicts what he stand for. There is a photograph of Hitler staring directly into the eyes of a Nietzches bust, and he would oftenly go to the Nietzche musem of Wiemeir to see the bust for himself. Sometimes Nietzche is victimized by the false premise that he himself, was a Nazi. This however is easily refuted because Hitler did not form the Nazi party until 1919 and did not ascend to power with it until 1933, several decades after Nietzsches death. Nietzsche was also not a fascist, his ideology, was more so that, his political beliefs, if he had any at all was the belief in no politics. (Solomon 16). In other words, Hitler had take Fredrick Nietzsche and formulated his own philosophy with little to no influence by him. Their views on anti Semitism greatly contrast each other, Hitler bases much of his political career on the extermination of the Jewish race, while Nietzsche when addressed with being an anti-Semite responds with great hostility as addressed in his letters to his sister. Hitler mystifying concept of racial supremacy, drips with irony for not only did Nietzsche claim full polish ancestry, but he also insulted German blood , and the atrocities committed to the Polish in world war two would evidently not been something Nietzsche supported. Nietzsches position on religion contradicts that which Hitler uses to motivate his troops, Hitler claims to be fully Catholic and motivated by god to destroy the Jewish race, whereas Nietzsche shows mostly skepticism and pessimism. It is clear that not only did Hitler greatly misinterpret Nietzsche, the evidence points that he may ha ve not read much at all, and just created a superficial attachment to Nietzsche, mostly based on nothing.

Essay --

CHAPTER NO 5 Adjustments & maintenance 5.1 Capillary Tube 5.2 Priming 5.3 Pressure Gauge Fitting 5.4 Relief Valve 5.5 Pressure Adjustment 5.6 PD Pump System Flow Diagram 5.7 External Relief Valve Adjustment 5.8 Internal Relief Valve Adjustment 5.9 Motor Lubrication 5.1 Capillary Tube:- A capillary tube is a narrow, long tube of constant diameter. In refrigeration application of capillary tube, the surface tension is not important. Tube length limit from 1.0 m to 6 m and the diameters of refrigerant capillary tubes limit from 0.5 mm to 3 mm. Due to the following two factors the pressure reduction in a capillary tube occurs: The frictional resistance offered by tube walls refrigerant has to overcome. Than that of the liquid the density of vapor is less. As it flows in the tube the average density of refrigerant decreases. The increase in acceleration or velocity of the refrigerant requires pressure drop. 5.2 Priming:- Liquid pumps can lose prime and to get the pump started this will require the pump to be primed by adding liquid to the pump and inlet pipes. Loss of "prime" ...

Deaf Articles Essay

3. â€Å"Why Can’t Deaf Experts Hear Us?† a. What are the present Deaf issues? Some of the Deaf issues mentioned in the article are that that â€Å"Deaf experts† don’t like the thought of Deaf children learning to sign without voicing. They think that each Deaf child should be learning Total Communication, but there is no evidence showing that Total Communication is the best way to educate Deaf kids. Another issue is that the people at Gallaudet feel as if they are having to educate the educators about the need of American Sign Language in Deaf schools. Deaf people feel as if their culture is being attacked and is being weakened. The last main problem is that the so called â€Å"Deaf experts† study special education but none of them have any personal experience with Deaf people. These experts endorsing the programs don’t listen to the opinions of Deaf people, they only demand research and quote hearing people with Ph.D.’s. b. From the article, list three important facts you learned from the writer. I learned that the writer of this article is Deaf. I know this because at the beginning of the article he states, â€Å"Some days I wonder if my Deafness is contagious. I keep writing and signing the same things over and over again.† Another fact is that he has personal experience of trying to explain to educators the need for American Sign Language in the schools. When he talks about educating the educators, he explains that the powers just keep looking the other way. The last fact is that Jack Levesque feels as if the Deaf culture is being sort of taken away from them and is dying out. Why did you pick these facts? I picked the first fact because by knowing that the writer is Deaf it helps you better understand the emotion and personal feeling behind each word. I picked the fact that he has tried to explain that they need ASL in schools because that is what he is writing about, the use of ASL not English to educate the Deaf. He has personal frustrations with no ASL in schools; he is not simply relaying the message for other Deaf people. I chose the last fact because in reality, if you are forcing a different language than a native language on someone, you are stripping their culture away from them by not allowing them to just be themselves. This is a good point that he brings up and it saddens me that someone would even want to do that to another human. c. What are some observations or comments you have about the article? I wish that all of the Ph.D. experts in special education could just meet or talk to a few Deaf people and really get to know them. I think by doing this, they would realize how important Deaf culture and Sign Language really are to a Deaf person. I think this would change all the hearing people’s minds about forcing English onto Deaf people. It just isn’t natural for them. d. What do you think of Bonnies Bass’s article? I think that the point that she brings up makes a lot of sense. Americans just assume that Sign Language is just like English, but it is not. The grammar is completely different and the syntax is completely different. It is sad that Deaf children are not pushed to learn American Sign Language right away when they find out they are Deaf. It doesn’t make sense for kids to be tested on English when their native language should be Sign Language. That is like taking an English speaking student and putting a Spanish test in front of them and expecting them to get high scores. This article makes a lot of sense and I wish that more hearing people would read it so they could better understand that the two languages are different.

Business Culture essays

Business Culture essays Understanding one ¡s culture is a very important key factor for your global business to be successful. In my following presentation, I will briefly discuss some key ideas that you will need to keep in mind while you are doing business in Taiwan. If you listen to me carefully, you will surely have no problem becoming a CEO in Taiwan; at least, you don ¡t need to worry about your name appears on the headline of business entertainment section. The first point I am going to talk about is GREETINGS AND COURTESIES Upon meeting someone, Chinese lower their eyes slightly as a sign of respect. Staring into the eyes of a Chinese might make them uncomfortable. Face (mianzi), a measure of one's dignity, is crucial in Taiwan. Taiwanese are enormously sensitive to maintaining face in everything they do. Saying or doing anything that causes someone to lose face can instantly destroy a relationship and any business that might result from it. Never insult or openly criticize someone in front of others. Do not treat someone as a person of lowly rank if their position in their company is high. A person's face is also their company's face. The relationship you develop with a person represents your relationship with his entire company. Dwarfed by and staunchly opposing the People's Republic of China, Taiwan regards business with the rest of the world as crucial to its survival, economically and politically. Taiwanese businessmen are generally practical and shrewd. Work is one of their most prized virtues, and they are willing to work ten or more hours each day. Taiwanese prefer to have their own business rather than be employed by a large corporation. This has resulted in thousands of small-scale, family-owned companies, and potential partners are plentiful. But it also means that business rivalries can be intensely personal and sometimes vicious. Taiwanese behavior is largely determined by Confuci ...

Innovative Strategy in Royal Dutch Shell The WritePass Journal

Innovative Strategy in Royal Dutch Shell Innovative Strategy in Royal Dutch Shell . Shell is involved in every aspect of the oil and gas industry, with a large amount of vertical integration from the initial exploration through to the end trading, giving it potentially a large amount of power within the industry. The purpose of this paper is to look at the innovative strategy of Shell, with particular reference to its general corporate strategy, its structure, mission and vision, as well as looking at how its corporate culture encourages innovation at every stage of the operation. As noted by Shell itself, the company aims to meet with growing demand from customers to produce more power, but with less impact on society and the environment. As a result, the company has placed a great deal of emphasis on investment in research and development, in order to create greater efficiencies, so that the company can produce more energy, without incurring greater costs, either financially or environmentally (Burdon et al., 2008). The generic strategies employed by Shell are seen to be focused on differentiation by looking towards innovation in its exploration and production, with a focus on renewable and trading arrangements, as well as the more recent introduction of Shell Global Solutions International which includes technology services within the industry. It therefore has an overall advantage which has been gained by establishing new technologies, while also reducing the threat from new entrants or the threat from substitutes (Maharaj and Herremans, 2008).   Mission Statement and Vision Shell has established several general business principles as part of its day-to-day operations. However, despite having a myriad of different activities and business units, it has a set of 8 business principles which are applied at every stage. These are the combination of the three core values, namely honesty, integrity and respect for people which established 8 core business principles economic competition, business integrity, political activity, health and safety, security and the environment, local communities, communication and engagement, and compliance (Davenport, et al., 2007). As part of the business strategy, the organisation is openly committed to sustainable development, which requires the team to look at balancing short- and long-term interests and integrating a broad range of responsibilities with a broad range of stakeholders. Corporate Culture towards Innovation Bearing in mind these principles, Shell is following an ethos of innovation, recognising that sustainable development and the new technologies that achieve this are central. One of the main strategies pursued by Shell is that of encouraging innovation and, as part of its shareholder mission, the organisation recognises that it cannot develop innovation alone and has therefore encouraged individuals to submit ideas as to how they can overcome challenges within the energy sector, in such a way that will enable companies such as Shell to meet with future global demand. Shell also works in partnership with many other organisations in order to tackle some of the major challenges facing the industry. Furthermore, it recognises that developing specialist in-house skills by recruiting the top scientists and researchers to work at its technology centre to tackle all of these problems will mean that Shell’s long-term agenda will ultimately be achieved (Shell, 2013). A team of nine Chief Scientists work within the organisation, each with their own specialist area. For example, Jose Bravo is the Shell Chief Scientist Separations and is currently looking at developing new equipment to work in the refinery in order to facilitate more efficient separation. He states: â€Å"†¦we see technology as a way that Shell is going to carry on into the future. It is a fundamental part of our business strategy and the people that deliver that technology are the key resource for the company for the future†. This statement shows the type of culture that is emerging within the organisation and the importance is placed on innovation at every stage (Verburg, et al., 2006). Processes of Innovation, Stages of New Product Development The Chief Technical Officer, Gerald Schotman, goes one step further in his statement saying: â€Å"Technology underpins our ability to shape the future of energy. But we must have a clear vision of the future to know what technology we must develop today†. There are three key regional technology centres, the first in Amsterdam, the second in Houston and the third in Bangalore. The centre in Houston houses over 2,000 scientists, with six of the Chief Scientist also being resident here. Several projects are being undertaken within the technical centre, including looking at new technologies which will enable the company to unlock trapped natural gas and also to develop catalysts which will enable them to speed up chemical reaction, thus making the overall process considerably more efficient and gaining access to natural gases that would otherwise be wasted (Sparrow and Ringland, 010). The centre in Amsterdam was the first technology centre established in 1914 and it currently works closely with local universities in order to share expertise; it has also been responsible for some major developments such as the ability to turn natural gas into transport fuel.   Overall Rewards for Innovation Shell relies almost entirely on its ability to innovate and develop new efficiencies and new products within the oil and gas industry. By being one of the largest companies in the world, Shell is able to capitalise on this by investing in long-term development. Scientists are perceived to be vitally important to the organisation and the culture is very much towards achieving long-term development in line with the business strategy (Ortt, and Van der Duin, 2008). Vertical integration is also a key part of the strategy which enables the company to make the most of efficiency and share expertise and resources, where appropriate, thus providing greater technological innovation in the long run. An innovation strategy is central to Shell and has become an ingrained part of its mission, vision and values, as well as the underlying culture among the workforce. In doing so and by encouraging partnership with other organisations and higher education establishments, this innovation strategy is likely to be the key to the long-term success of this growing organisation. References Burdon, S., Chelliah, J. and Bhalla, A (2009) Structuring enduring strategic alliances: the case of Shell Australia and Transfield Services, Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 30 Iss: 4, pp.42 – 51 Davenport, T., Leibold, M. and Voelpel. S (2007) Strategic Management in the Innovation Economy: Strategic Approaches and Tools for Dynamic Innovation Capabilities, John Wiley Sons. p.367 Maharaj, R and Herremans, I (2008) Shell Canada: over a decade of sustainable development reporting experience, Corporate Governance, Vol. 8 Iss: 3, pp.235 – 247 Ortt, J and Van der Duin, P (2008) The evolution of innovation management towards contextual innovation, European Journal of Innovation Management, Vol. 11 Iss: 4, pp.522 – 538 Shell, (2013) Available at shell.com/global/future-energy/innovation/researching-around-the-world.html Sparrow, O and Ringland, G (2010) A system for continuous organizational renewal, Strategy Leadership, Vol. 38 Iss: 4, pp.34 – 41 Verburg, R., Ortt, R and Dicke, W. (2006) Managing Technology and Innovation: An Introduction, Routledge p.341

International Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

International Accounting - Essay Example As the first step, the fourth and seventh company law directives obliged the companies and group of companies to prepare accounts on a harmonised basis (Accounting Harmonisation). The main aim of the IASB/IASC was to overcome the international trade barriers arising out of different national laws. As Akyuz, Bulca, and Mustafa (n.d.) opine, the IASB/IASC thought that accounting harmonisation process would bring coordination in accounting procedures across the Europe and subsequently it would lead to the establishment of a single market. In order to harmonise the international accounting practices as a whole, the IASB/IASC firstly gave emphasis on the community law harmonisation. It is essential to note that a harmonisation programme at community had not been experimented until IASB/IASC did it. Forex News (2010) reflects that the accounting harmonisation process had been mainly practiced through policies which might drive member states to achieve the proposed objectives. Similarly, th e multinational companies were facing troublesome challenges to prepare coordinated financial statements at the end of the year since they might have branches across the globe and each branch would have distinct accounting practices in accordance with respective nation’s law. ... As a result of these differences in opening and closing of financial periods, IASB/IASC faced cumbersome difficulties in launching the proposed harmonization process simultaneously across the Europe. Heterogenic accounting philosophies prevailed in different countries were some other barriers which the IASB/IASC had to deal with. In the opinion of Fritz and Lammle (2003) some specific environmental factors play crucial role in moulding the accounting practices of each country and these factors vary from country to country. In most parts of Europe, professional accounting organisations did not have the authority to fix accounting standards; it was completely left to the choice of governmental authorities. Likewise, the vague interpretations and ineffective supervision of IAS/IFRS caused further problems toward the harmonisation process. They could not ensure the convergence of various interpretations of standards. It can be seen that height of IASB’s aims also adversely affecte d the effectiveness of IASC/IASB. It targeted the formulation of a single global market with common accounting practices in its premature stage and it seems to be highly challenging. Similarly, acceptance of IAS/IFRS at SEC was a major challenge to IASC/IASB. Moreover, national standard-setter, governments, and companies tried to influence the operations of IASB in order to defend their own interests. Support from IOSCO and IFAC International Organisation of Securities Commission (IOSCO) is the security regulators’ organisation that represents more than 80 countries and it works for enhancing cross border capital accumulation. Similarly, International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) aims at initiating of a world-wide

Identify the impact of media communication (positive and negative) in Assignment - 1

Identify the impact of media communication (positive and negative) in a crisis situation - Assignment Example nication sty is necessary to be able to insure the continuity of the business since regardless of the vision and mission of an organization, the stakeholders are needed to be given reassurance regarding the business success (Notes in PPT). During a crisis, the organization should have a fast and efficient method of communication to be able to prevent situations created by the mass’s thirst for information (Notes in PPT). There are 5 important points in the crisis communication management in an organization. First is the identification of the organization’s key spokespersons that can represent the company in times of crisis and be believable to carry the right information. Second is the training of the leaders and key spokesperson in facing the media. Third is having a established crisis communication team that is ready at all times with the capability to connect to trusted media authorities to be able to maintain a positive reputation of the organization. The same group is also responsible in communicating with the proper authorities for a particular crisis such as the police or the fire services in terms of emergencies. It is important for the communication group within a company to have a positive rela tionship with the media or else there would be a contest with regards to the crisis that occurred which can destroy the business (Cornelissen, 2014, p.210). One example of the use of media to handle the crisis is how Mattel faced the August to October 2007 lead paint issue on toys that the company is producing. Due to a presence of an established communication plan which focused on the preparedness of the company in such events and the openness of Mattel in giving out updates regarding the situation survived the company without risking relationship to its consumers, stakeholders and the media (Cornelissen, 2014,