History And Overview Of Frances Beauty Industry Economics Essay

History And Overview Of Frances Beauty Industry Economics Essay France is ranked 16th in the Global Competitive Report up two places from last year and demonstrating a number of competitive strengths, such as an infrastructure that is ranked second in the world, a healthy workforce, a high quality of education, a sophisticated business culture and leadership in the area of technological innovation. On the other hand, as indicated in the Global Competitive Report, France suffers from high non wage labour costs and strict rules on hiring and firing and poor labour employer relations. There is also a govern GDP Per Capita, (US$), 2007..$41,511.2 GDP: (US$ billions), 20072,560.3 GDP (PPP) as share (%) of world total, 2007à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.3.17 Total Population: (millions), 200760.9 Median Age: 39 Land Area: Largest land area of all EU members Unemployment: 7% 2008 Current President Nicolas Sarkozy ment budget deficit which is above the EU threshold of 60% and national savings rates are low. (Global Competitive Report, 2008/09 p.19) Although France is currently in a good position in 16th place, the global economy is changing and new competitors are closing in. This paper will examine the challenges that France and their beauty industry are facing. France key facts: source: The Global Competitive Report 2008-09 Exhibit A Economic PerformanceFrances Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has aligned with the European average somewhat, although, as the graph below illustrates, France has fared better than the EU within the last year. Exhibit B This chart created on the Eurostat website, compares Frances Real GDP with the European Union (EU) average. Real gross domestic product (GDP) is a macroeconomic measure of the size of an economy adjusted for price changes (that is, adjusted for changes in the value of money: inflation or deflation.) source: Real gross domestic product. Web. ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_gross_domestic_product>. Legend:Blue = FranceGreen = EU (27 countries)source:http//epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/graph.do?tab=graphinit=1toolbox=typelanguage=enpcode=tsieb010plugin=0http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/graph.do Frances Gross Domestic Product per capita (PPP US$)The Human Development report and the Global Competitive Report demonstrate that Frances purchasing power parity (PPP) has declined since 1993 to 33,000 plus/minus. Human Development Report 2009 Exhibit C Human development index 2007 and its components GDP per capita (PPP US$) HDI Rank Country 2007 1 Norway 53,433 1 2 Australia 34,923 3 Iceland 35,742 4 Canada 35,812 5 Ireland 44,613 1 6 Netherlands 38,694 7 Sweden 36,712 8 France 33,674 9 Switzerland 40,658 10 Japan 33,632 11 Luxembourg 79,485 source: http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/91.html accessed March 29 2010 source: Global Competitive Report 2008/09Exhibit D Innovation MeasuresThe Global Competitive Report says Although less-advanced countries can still improve their productivity by adopting existing technologies or making incremental improvements in other areas, for countries that have reached the innovation stage of development, this is no longer sufficient to increase productivity. Firms in these countries must design and develop cutting-edge products and processes to maintain a competitive edge. (Global Competitive Report, 2008/2009, page 6) Exhibit D shows France in blue is ahead in the percentage of GDP for RD. This hides the fact that Germany one of Frances competitors which we will discuss later in the Cosmetic industry analysis, spends a considerable amount more than France. Although France in blue is ahead in the percentage of GDP they spend on RD another important aspect of innovation is patents. Exhibit E shows that Germany has double the amount of patents. Gross Domestic Expenditure on RDExhibit D France = Blue EU = Green Germany has double the amount of patents than France Exhibit E Analysing the date from the Global Competitiveness Report it is clear that France is suffering in the ranking for innovation and sophisticatio n as illustrated below. Exhibit F France is losing behind Germany who is winning currently in 4th place Exhibit F: Innovation and sophistication factors According to Porter, a nations competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade. Companies gain advantage against the worlds best competitors because of pressure and challenge. (Porter, On Competition, p.171, 2008) In Exhibit F France is holding steady in 14th position an explanation for their lack of improvement is shown in Exhibit G state of cluster development, where France is low and their rate of patent development is low compared to its competitors, for example, Germany, Japan and the U.S.A. source: Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009Exhibit G France P E S T Analysis POLITICAL LANDSCAPE Overview French political system can be described as semi-presidential form of democratic republic. France has improved considering the rule of law and accountability. France ranks in the 91.3 percentile on voice and accountability as of 2007, which is an improvement from 2002, when it was ranked in the 84.1 percentile. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. Page 3) However, France is still considered as a highly centralized country and the elite group is significantly involved in the state and corporate sectors. Moreover, corruption seems to be one of the main issues in French politics. Strengths Political stability can be considered one of Frances strengths. Elections are fair and transparent. Although initially the socialist parties were more popular and therefore winning the elections, lately the majority of the society has voted for pro-reform parties. Before the elections president Sarkozy made following promises: a reduction of unemployment, flexible labour laws, pension reform and tax changes. Frances approach to preventing terrorism is considered to be one of the most effective in Europe. However, it did not come free and the price was limiting civil liberties. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 14) Weaknesses Although the current French government is definitely pro-reform, the rest of French society seems to be opposed to the changes. For example, the government wants to simplify public administration and bureaucracy, promote the competition in the market as well as make minimum wages flexible. (www.lemonde.fr)(EWA I sort of know what you mean but can you include a couple of the changes that the government want to bring in. I understand that the citizens would be unwilling to accept any change that would lower wages but does the French government want to lower wages that would also go against what Porter says is the point of being competitive. The population is unwilling to adopt any measures that cause a decrease in wages. One of the reasons would be the decline in purchasing power of the French population. As already mentioned in exhibit B above France is already showing a decline in GDP (PPP US$) per capita. Improving the pension system and modernizing the labour market has been delay ed because of the unwillingness of French citizen to accept change. In general, the reforms are being delayed. Moreover, the liberalization process is also not as dynamic as hoped for, in effect, president Sarkozy is losing his popularity. In regional elections on 21st March the Socialist Party gained 54 % while UMP 35 % only. (Web. . Accessed March 15 2010). Opportunities Improving French foreign policy has been one of president Sarkozys main goals. So far he has been successful. France has returned to NATOs military command. It has helped US in isolating Iran because of its nuclear power. In general, France has been lately very active in international relationships. With no doubt improved foreign relations will help the economic relations with these countries. French National Assembly composition Source: Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 39. President Sarkozys administration has also finally improved French bureaucracy which now should be more transparent and efficient. Threats In France, the government has continued to play a prominent role in business compared to many other EU countries. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. Page 16) A concentration of elite citizens in power helps corruption practices and also help to influence government policies which in effect can block development. (Political Science: An Introduction, Michael G. Roskin, June 2005, P. 79) Moreover, since the government becomes more unpopular while trying to implement the reforms (can we get a list of the reforms then I can weave that into this paragraph pension system reform, health care system reform, public administration reform, reform of work conditions regulations un contrat unique, reform of public finances, tax system reform, corporation tax reform) there is a risk that it will become populist to gain power back. There have been a number of protests against reform measures. ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE Overview The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated that France faced a 3 % fall in growth in 2009. The decrease of income and wages combined with rising unemployment will affect domestic consumption. Because of the opposition implementing Sarkozys reforms is not going smoothly. Frances credit rating might be affected. That will increase the cost of funding for future governments and business enterprises.(Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 14) Strengths President Sarkozys pro-reform approach affected in general review of public policy. This caused the improvement in public services and therefore reducing the public costs. French infrastructure is one of the best in Europe. There are over 10,000 km of well-maintained highways in France. That is better result than in Germany or UK. French railway network is also very well established. France is seen as global air transport hub with 27 airports. The world-class infrastructure network enables France to offer international investors excellent conditions for doing business and also drive the overall economic engine of the nation. ((Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 18) Weaknesses French external debt is above the EU limit of 60% and most probably will stay this way. Moreover, the share in exports in the Eurozone has fallen by 16% during 1999-2007. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 18) As the reasons for this situation can be named low level of industry specialization and poor price competitiveness of French industries. Moreover, Frances effective corporate tax burden is higher than EU average. Opportunities The privatization of telecommunications, electricity, gas, postal services, rail freights as well as the services sector has been in place for a while. The government has also introduced stimulus plan. The hope is that increased investment spending will stimulate domestic consumption. Threats The financial system in France is still significantly being regulated and administrated. What has helped French economy now to recover from global crisis, might create a problem in the future. Structural reforms in public enterprises, pensions and the constitution need to be completed now; otherwise France will lose the competition with countries with more liberalized systems like UK or Germany. SOCIAL LANDSCAPE Overview While social structure considered an aging population and relatively high unemployment rate seem to be main issues. As well as deficient educational system; (Global competitive report, Porter and Schwab, p.19) describes the education system as a whole is high/strength but the flexibility of the labour force is the problem as well as poor labour relations) this partly can be blamed for high unemployment rate. Unemployment rate was 10 % in January 2010. Web. Accessed March 15 2010. Monthly unemployment rates August 2008 January 2010: Strengths Taking into consideration social parameters in general France has been rather successful. For example, life expectancy at birth is in France 80 years; in terms of gender equality there is a positive social climate for women. France has one of the highest birth rate in Europe. Unlike in many other European countries although the rate is decreasing, France is still doing well. Frances birth rate of about 1.8 children per woman in 2006 makes it the only European country with the possibility of maintaining its current population. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. p. 22) Weaknesses An aging population and early retirement are serious issues on French social landscape. These issues have not been given enough attention by policy makers which now may cause big problem of additional government expenditure. Low labour participation is another issue as well as the fact that French workers work relatively low hours yearly. Source: Web. Accessed: March 15 2010 Another challenge is educational system which has not kept with changing industrial order. Opportunities New scheme Active Solidarity Revenue (RSA) has been introduced by French government. The aim is to prevent unemployment and poverty. The programme will persuade people to look for a job rather than living off social benefits. Threats Frances wage hikes have not seen an equal increase in productivity or increase in output. Thus, wage increases have become unrealistic. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 22) By continuing this policy while the wages are increased but the productivity is not increasing is a serious threat for economic growth. Moreover, France is losing competition on global market where products from emerging Asian countries are present. French government has passed new rules regarding immigrants who want to live in the country or acquiring French nationality. On one side it will help to stop illegal immigrants, however on the other side it will also put off well educated foreigners to work in France. TECHNOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE Overview RD situation in France is satisfying, although far from perfect. The level of public investment in RD is around 2 % of GDP while EUs aim is 3 %. Moreover, private sector funding is still not pleasing. Public involvement is declining and private sector funding still not increasing. This situation might cause problems in future. To improve this condition the Agency for Industrial Innovation has been established. Its main task is to support innovation in large companies. Web. Accessed March 15 2010 Strengths What can be considered as main strength is relatively large number of patents received by France. France ranks fourth in the world in terms of number of patents granted for its innovation. (Datamonitor (2009). France: Country Analysis Report. London: British Library. P. 24) This situation is caused by the approach of successive French government to RD. Research and higher education are priorities of the current government. Large amount from yearly budget is dedicated to support these domains. Political commitment to RD is therefore high in France. Weaknesses Although RD is considered as an important issue by politicians Frances expenditure is at 2 % of GDP only. For comparison it is 2.68% in US and 3.18 % of GDP in Japan. Moreover, the spending on RD as a percentage of GDP by French government is declining. In addition, the input from private sector is still not rewarding. This situation will without any doubts influence future technological development of the country. Opportunities French national research and innovation policy aims to promote innovation, increase the participation of private sector, and improve the cooperation between public and private sector. The goal is to increase the spending on RD to 3 % of GDP and one third of this amount should come from private sector. Threats France lacks the coordination and one clear policy regarding RD sector. There are many research and knowledge institutes which objectives are overlapping each other. One united strategy is needed. Furthermore, there is lack of efficient communication between research institutes and private companies, therefore resources are not being used fully. Moreover, the lack of the connection between the producers and consumers of the technology can be observed. Public RD centres very often do help in application of new technology in industry. In effect, efforts and costs will be duplicated. Beauty products in France cluster analysis 1/ Description of the cluster, cluster size and performance The cosmetics and toiletries (CT) industry in France is estimated at 8 billion EUR in sales and can be divided into the following categories:       * Skincare, colour cosmetics:    37%       * Hair products :    23 %       * Perfumes :    20 %       * Toiletries:    19 %       * Other :    1 % Although in total export value, the CT industry in France shows growth of 6.5% between 1999 and 2005, in terms of global market share, France has declined from 31,6% to 28,5% during the same period. Despite this, France is still a dominant market leader with its export value sales double the amount of the second and third largest exporters Germany and USA with export value of just below 4 billion EUR respectively.Rossi, Prlic, Hoffman; November 2007, Global Insight Report, p.14 Frances beauty care industry has two specialised regional sub-clusters the PASS cluster (Parfum, Arà ´mes, Senteurs et Saveurs perfume, aromas, scents and flavours) in the Provence-Alpes-Cà ´tes dAzur region, and the Cosmetic Valley cluster (Sciences de la Beautà © et du bien à ªtre Science of beauty and well-being) based in the Centre and Normandy region.ClickPress, July 2008 [http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/82987005cp.shtml] The beauty products cluster consists of just few large corporations and over 400 Small medium enterprises (SMEs) with 25 250 employees. There has been an estimation of 855 companies in the CT industry with less than 10 employees. Rossi, Prlic, Hoffman; November 2007, Global Insight Report, p.4 Major companies include LOreal which is the global market leader with annual sales of US $ 17.7 billion, followed by Japanese owned Shiseido (US $ 5.4 billion), LVMH (US $ 2.7 billion) and Yves Rocher (US $ 1.8 billion). Smaller companies include Chanel, Clarins, Pierre Fabre Dermo Cosmetique and Yves Saint Laurent. Beauty packaging, October/November 2005 [http://www.beautypackaging.com/articles/2005/10/top-20-global-beauty-companies.php] International groups in the cosmetics sector such Beiersdorf, Henkel, Coty Inc, Puig Group and Pacific Europe have a strong presence in France and benefit from a vibrant business environment that also serves as a test market. France also offers expertise in associated industries, such as bottle manufacturing and the production of aromas and scents. Invest in France agency press release at ClickPress [http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/82987005cp.shtml] Institutions for collaboration The Cosmetic Valley and PASS regional sub-clusters support active cooperation between companies, research organisations, training institutions, laboratories, universities and suppliers. International investment into the industry is promoted and facilitated by the Invest in France Agency (IFA). ClickPress, July 2008 [http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/82987005cp.shtml] Cluster Map 2/ History The reason behind the perception of France as the cradle of beauty and luxury goes back to the 16th century when it became the center of cosmetic industry starting with the manufacturing of parfumes. Although historically the first European parfume makers originated in Venice, the trade with parfumes developed strongly during the 17th century in France which is today recognised as the dominant parfume manufacturer. This is the result of the attention and support given to the industry by the King Louis XIV whose policies stimulated luxury trade. The use of parfumes spread among the aristocrats and the trade flourished with first parfume guild being established in 1729 in the Provence region. By the 18th century, the original parfume makers started selling other beauty products such as hair dyes, powders, rouges, soaps and white face paints. The industry started being commercialised after the French revolution in 1789 as manufacturers seeked ways to avoid the association with aristocracy. The guild system was abolished in 1791 and first cosmetic shops were opened in Paris, exports to neighbouring countries also started during this time. In the 19th century, French manufacturers developed chemical processes of replacing aromas obtained by natural means with beauty products based on scientific research. This has led to inventions of completely new scents that were not just à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡copying existing natural scents. Separate male and female fragrances were also introduced during this period. Increased demand led to need for larger production facilities. First parfume factory was built in 1840 in Parisian suburb La Villette by an entrepreneour L.T. Piver. Distribution channels were developed as prices of cosmetics became more accessible to the common man and manufacturers were by now producing branded products as well as private labels for department stores. During the late 19th century, an entrepreneur Francois Coty made a major impact on the cosmetic business. His achievements include setting up own salesforce (unheard of in the cosmetics business until than) and using designer bottles for parfumes (until than parfumes were sold in pharmacy-like simple bottles) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡ to attract the eye as much as the nose. His aim was to keep the perception of cosmetic s  as a luxury that more people can afford and he succeeded in bringing cosmetics and parfumes to the masses. By the end of 19th century three quarters of French parfumes and beauty products were sold abroad thanks to the developed infractracture which made it easy to export products to Europe and the US. Typically sales were managed through local import agents. Some bigger manufactuterers such as Coty or Piver later established their own shops in other countries (Pivor in London, Coty in New York). In 1907 Eugene Schueller started new company Socià ©tà © Franà §aise de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux selling hair dyes for hairdressers. The vision of the company was to doà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡research and innovation in the interest of beauty. Later renamed as LOreal, the company had by 1950s over 100 researchers. Today LOreal is a leader in the beauty products industry. Geoffrey Jones, 2007, Imagining Beauty: The History of the Global Beauty Business, p.16 38 3/ Competition and trends According to the Global Insight Inc, the world cosmetics market grew between 2000 and 2006 in Europe and China but declined slightly in US and Japan (Exhibit 2). EU15 United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Luxemburg, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Italy EU 12 Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Cyprus EU 27 = sum of the above Exhibit 2 The forecasts show expected further growth especially in developing regions such as China and central eastern Europe (EU12). (Exhibit 3) Exhibit 3 France has kept its dominant position as the leading exporter of beauty products over many years selling double the amount than its closest competitors Germany and US. The growth in value is 6.5% between 1999 and 2005. This however is lower compared to EU average (8.3% growth) as well as compared with the rest of the major beauty exporters in world USA, China and Japan (8.1% growth). This means that on the global scale, France is losing market shares. (Exhibit 3) Exhibit 3 Revealed comparative advantage Global Insight Inc measured the Revealed comparative advantage of nations exporting beauty products and in its findings we see that France is positioned in the upper right quadrant (Cosmetic Industry RCA Analysis, Exhibit 4) the threatened industries. The graph shows us that France is by far the largest exporter, is well positioned but its position is weakening due to lesser growth compared to other countries. On the other hand, the only countries showing intensive growth are developing nations that started at a much weaker base. The market for French products has matured in the developed regions of western Europe and the US which have been traditionally the largest export countries for French products. As a conclusion, France will now have to be more aggressive in creating a strong position in the developing markets of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries + central and eastern Europe to regain its growth. This assumption is supported by the data from French customs which point to fast growing cosmetics sales to the emerging markets, while the EU plays a less important role in French exports (50% against 64%). Between 1998 and 2008, sales growth in emerging countries was two times faster than it is for all exports of cosmetics. The share of emerging countries in total sales of cosmetics rose from 14.9% in 1998 to 24.6% in 2008, with particularly strong sales in China and Russia. A trend confirmed by Jean-Paul Agon, the Managing Director of the LOreal Group, in an interview to the French newspaper Le Monde, dated November 6: In the ten coming years, our customers will mostly be Chinese, Indian, Brazilian or Indonesian. While the group LOreal already achieves 60% of its business outside Europe, this proportion is expected to rapidly rise to 90%, according to Jean-Paul Agon Sooner or later sales catch up on demography, he claims. Exhibit 4 Frances second largest competitor in Europe Germany shows a better performance in terms of growth and is slightly gaining market shares from 13% in 1999 to 14% in 2005. Although this might seem only a slight improvement, in terms of growth in absolute numbers, Germany has grown faster than European average and almost twice as fast as France (10.9% growth for Germany versus 6.5% for France). Compared to other three top exporters of cosmetics (France, US and UK), Germany is the only country growing in market shares. In 2007, German exports rose by 14.4% compared to previous year and summed up to EUR 964 million in the first half of 2007, with highest demand from France, the United Kingdom and Russia. Gentry Earlene, German-Arab Industry of Commerce, December 2008 [http://aegypten.ahk.de/index.php?id=1093L=15] The growth of German exports is driven by local SMEs which are strategically managed by IKW the German Cosmetic, Toiletry, Perfumery and Detergent Association (Industrieverband Kà ¶rperpflege- und Waschmittel e. V.) whose mission is to help German SMEs to enter and conquer foreign markets. Gentry Earlene, German-Arab Industry of Commerce, December 2008 [http://aegypten.ahk.de/index.php?id=1093L=15] As a result of its strategic focus and investment, German SMEs have developed quality cosmetics for almost all segments. Etre Belle Cosmetic Vertrieb GmbH is an interesting illustration of those successful German SMEs. The company is now present in more than 35 countries. The brand has developed complete fragrance and skincare ranges segmented by skin types. German companies are also world leaders in some specific niches, such as organic and natural cosmetics which shows the most dynamic growth in western Europe and USA. (German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce, [http://aegypten.ahk.de/index.php?id=1093L=15 ]) Udo Frenzel, director of economic affairs at IKW, the German Cosmetics, Toiletry, Perfumery and Detergent Association, sums up the success behind Germany growth: The exports of the German cosmetics, toiletry and perfumery industry in the last ten years are a story of success based on the quality image of Made in Germany. There is nearly no country on the entire globe where not at least one German brand is available on the market. At present German exports of our industry are 68% higher than imports to Germany. Gentry Earlene, German-Arab Industry of Commerce, December 2008 [http://aegypten.ahk.de/index.php?id=1093L=15] Research and Development French companies sustain their comparative advantage by investing heavily into research and development which is a key requirement to stay competitive in the cosmetics industry. As the following table shows, Frances RD expenditure in 2001 was 2.5x higher than that of the second largest competitor Germany in 2004. (Exhibit 5) Data for other leading countries are unfortunately not available but the assumption is that France is a leading investor into RD worldwide. This is also supported by the fact that the French government actively supports research and has introduced a competitive RD tax-credit system, which reimburses 50% of RD costs in the first year. This provides incentives to non-French companies to set up research facilities in France. Companies that have done this include Pacific Chemical Corp. (South Korea), Takasago (Japan) or Hutchison Whampoa (Hong Kong).Invest in France agency press release at ClickPress [http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/82987005cp.shtml Exhibit 5 Productivity The most significant threat to the ongoing competitiveness of the industry in most EU countries but mostly relevant to France and Germany, is relatively low productivity combined with high unit labour costs which shows a wide gap between EU companies and the U.S. and Japan. Rossi, Prlic, Hoffman; November 2007, Global Insight Report, p.4 Although only average EU15 (refers to the first EU countries before entry of post-communist nations) data for productivity in the beauty products industry are available, given the size of the French market, the weighted average is likely to be similar to the actual data for France. Referring to the source above, the rest is an assumption, therefor

War and Politics: Are both one in the same

His home in England was near the main gathering point for the D-Day invasion. Along with his fathers service in World War I, Keegan felt himself drawn towards the military and its workings. Unfortunately Keegan was unable to serve in the British Military due to a childhood illness. Although Keegan was unable to serve his country, he was determined to find his way into some aspect of the military. With a degree at Oxford, Keegan became a military historian. This essay will take a look into Keegans work, A History of Warfare, and his thesis that war is not a continuation of politics. This essay will refute his thesis with evidence from Clausewitz, fallacies in Keegans novel and military conflicts over the past thirty years. Keegan has dissected the workings of the military and the military soldier. In his novel A History of Warfare, Keegan disputes the Clausewitzen theory that war is the continuation of policy by other means. Keegan supports his theory by giving explanations of how Clausewitzens theory is invalid. To understand Keegans position one must first be familiar with Clausewitz. Clausewitz was a Prussian regimental officer during the Napoleonic wars. Upon retirement, he wrote the book On War. The books main thesis was war is the continuation by policy by other means. Keegan disagrees with Clausewitz by saying: Such at statement implies the existence of states, of state interests and of rational calculation about how they may be achieved. Yet war antedates the state, diplomacy and strategy by many millennia. Clausewitz, a child of Aristotle, went no further than to say that a political animal is war making animal. Neither dared confront the thought that man is a thinking animal in whom the intellect directs the urge to hunt and the ability to kill. Keegan suggests that war precedes states by many millenniums. First, Clausewitzs thesis does not imply there must be existence of states. Perhaps the political entity of the state did not exist but tribal life did. The tribe is a political entity. The bible has many accounts of tribal warfare for political gain. It varies from Moses leaving Egypt to David defeating Goliath. Keegan also states that war precedes diplomacy and strategy as well. The bible also recounts many strategies and diplomacy between tribes and states. Some historians might object to the bible being a reliable source but no one can refute that what happened in the bible was not true or accurate. We are cultural animals and it is the richness of our culture which allows us to accept our undoubted potentiality for violence but to believe nevertheless that its expression is a cultural aberration. History lessons remind us that the states in which we live, their institutions, even their laws, have come to us through conflict, often of the most bloodthirsty sort. Keegan is referring to the statement made by Aristotle in which he said, Man is a political animal. Keegan said that Clausewitz is a child of Aristotle and he believes that a political animal is a war-making animal. Keegan refutes them by saying, Neither dared confront the thought that man is a thinking animal in whom the intellect directs the urge to hunt and the ability to kill. How can he say that he disagrees with Clausewitzs theory when he himself claims that the states we live in now have come to be by conflict Doesnt that support Clausewitzs theory The point about neither Aristotle nor Clausewitz confront the fact that man is a thinking animal is a bit confusing. Yes man is a thinking animal and throughout history there has been countless rulers, dictators and emperors who have used war to gain political control. A prime example would be the conflict between Julius Caesar and Pompey. While Caesar was in Gaul waging war, he used agents to dominate politics in Rome. Caesar used politics and military strength to seize control of Rome and become the emperor. Man is a thinking animal and those in power, especially in the early years of history, were continually thinking on how to get more. Keegans big fallacy is his statement; Politics played no part in the conduct of the First World War worth mentioning. He goes on to say; The Germans, French, British and Russians found themselves apparently fighting war for wars sake. The wars political objects, difficult enough to define in the first place, were forgotten. Political restraints were overwhelmed, politicians who appealed to reason were execrated, and politics even in the liberal democracies was rapidly reduced to a mere justification of bigger battles, longer casualty lists, costlier budgets and overflowing human misery. The Encarta Encyclopedia states the following; The underlying causes of World War I were the spirit of intense nationalism that permeated Europe throughout the 19th and into the 20th century, the political and economic rivalry among the nations, and the establishment and maintenance in Europe after 1871 of large armaments and of two hostile military alliances. The fundamental causes of he conflict were rooted deeply in the European history of the previous century, particularly in the political and economic policies that prevailed on the Continent after 1871, the year that marked the emergence of Germany as a great world power. Keegan fails to give one argument supporting his statement. How he can say that politics played no role worth mentioning is beyond me. He not only gives no arguments but goes on to say, we are nevertheless right to see Clausewitz as the ideological father of the First World War, just as we are right to perceive Marx as the ideological father of the Russian Revolution. The appalling fate that those armies brought upon themselves by their dedication to it may be Clausewitzs enduring legacy. To compare Clausewitz and Marx is stretching it a bit. To blame Clausewitz for World War I is ludicrous. Once again Keegan fails to support his theory. Keegan goes on to say that Clausewitz is the ideological father of World War I. One can concur that if Keegan states Clausewitzs is to blame for World War I then wouldnt he be supporting Clausewitzs theory If war is the continuation of politics and Clausewitz is to blame, then isnt it correct to say that war is the continuation of politics Keegan he was not the only one who had this theory. Radical military writers such as the British historian B. H. Liddell Hart had such theories as well. He accuses him of urging the largest possible offensive with the largest possible numbers as the key to victory. Later Liddells thoughts were dismissed. Keegan, adhering to Liddells theory, once again has himself in a no win situation. He has stated that man is a thinking animal so shouldnt man be intelligent enough to figure out war and conflict without going to the past Shouldnt a general wage his own war, not an officer who wrote a book in the past Keegan concludes his theory with these thoughts; Culture is a prime determinant of the nature of warfare, as the history of its development. Politics must continue; war cannot. That is not to say that the role of the warrior is over. The world community needs, more than it has ever needed, skilful and disciplined warriors who are ready to put themselves at the service of its authority. Such warriors must properly be seen as the protectors of civilization, not its enemies. There is an even greater wisdom in the denial that politics and war belong with the same continuum. Unless we insist on denying it, our future, may belong to the men with bloodied hands. It is great to say that politics must continue but war cannot, but is it realistic For centuries war and politics have gone hand and hand. What events or individuals have given us a hope for change Are recent conflicts a testament to the future The United States involment in Bosnia, Somalia and the Gulf War has proven that. Would Keegan say that politics were not involved in those conflicts Keegan fails to address a few major conflicts in history. The Vietnam War and Korean War are not mentioned at all. The current theory underlying Vietnam and Korea were political reasons for the conflict. It is true that we went to Korea to support the South Koreans who were invaded but why were they invaded Political reasons are why. We were politically obligated to support the South Koreans. Chinas involment was purely political. The United States was not going to invade China. To the Chinese, having communist North Korea on their border was better than having the United States. Saying that Vietnam was not a political conflict does not give a reasonable explanation. The Vietnam War was the United States supporting a helpless South Vietnam and the United States fighting to keep their influence in South East Asia. With Keegans failure to address these major conflicts he leaves the reader wondering why. There are some errors of interpretation and fact in his novel as well. The atomic bomb was not designed to end wars without commitment of manpower on the battlefield as the author contends. The atomic bomb was another weapon, which we potentiality we only discovered after its use. Not until a decade later did nuclear weaponry come to take its place among equals in military establishments, at least in the United States. Keegans main goal was to refute the Clausewitz theory of war and politics. Keegan failed in this task. His inability to discuss such politically orientated conflicts such as Vietnam and Korea aids in his failure. His contention that World War I was not political was refuted by a definition in an encyclopedia. Keegan tries to offer the reader a new concept in studying military history but he is unable to get the reader to follow his train of thought.

Wolves and Beavers in Yellowstone National Park

The elimination of two animal groups from Yellowstone National Park changed the course of rivers and decreased plant and animal diversity. What two animals had such a big impact?  Creatures that humans have long considered competitors and pests: wolves and beavers. Why Eliminate Wolves? It all started with good intentions. In the 1800s, wolves were seen as a threat to settlers’ livestock. Fear of the wolves also made it seem logical to eliminate them. Other predator populations such as bears, cougars, and coyotes were also hunted during this time in order to enhance other, preferred species. By the early 1970s, a survey of Yellowstone National Park showed no evidence of a wolf population. How Did a Lack of Wolves Change the Physical Geography of the Park? Without wolves to thin herds, elk and deer populations surpassed the park carrying capacity. Despite efforts to manage deer and elk populations, their preferred food sources of aspen and willow trees were decimated.  This resulted in a lack of food for beavers and their populations declined. Without beaver dams to slow the flow of rivers and create appropriate habitat, water-loving willows nearly disappeared.  The lack of shallow marshes created by beaver dams also decreased the quality of habitats for birds, amphibians, and other animals.  Rivers became faster and deeper. Reintroduction of the Wolves The process to restore habitat conditions was made possible with the passage of the 1973 Endangered Species Act. The law compelled US Fish and Wildlife Service to reestablish endangered populations when possible. Yellowstone National Park became one of three designated recovery sites for the Gray Wolf.  Amid much controversy, wolf reintroduction finally began in 1994 with the capture of wild wolves from Canada that were released in Yellowstone. A few years later, wolf populations stabilized and a wonderful story emerged about the restoration of park ecology.  It was hoped that with reduced elk populations, beavers would have access to their favored food and return to create lush wetlands. The return of the previously maligned wolf would transform the ecosystem for the better. It was a wonderful vision and some of it has come true, but nothing is ever easy in the restoration of complex ecosystems. Why Yellowstone Needs to Have Beavers Come Back Beavers have not returned to Yellowstone for a simple reason — they need food. Willows are preferred by beavers for dam construction and nutrition; however, despite the decline in the elk population, willows have not been recovering at the pace predicted.  The potential reason for this is a lack of the marshy habitat that favors their growth and expansion. Willows thrive in areas where soil is kept moist from regular flow of nearby water. Rivers in Yellowstone run faster and have steeper banks than they did during the era with beavers.  Without beaver ponds and meandering, slow-flow areas, willow trees are not thriving. Without willows, beavers are less likely to return.   Scientists have tried to resolve this dilemma by building dams that recreate beaver habitats. So far, willows have not spread into these man-made ponding areas.  Time, rainy conditions, and still lower elk and deer populations may all need to converge before there will be mature willows to lure back a large beaver population. Yellowstone Wolf Restoration Still a Great Story The great debate over how fully wolves have restored Yellowstone ecology may go on for years, but scientists seem to agree that the wolves have improved conditions. Wildlife biologists have noted that endangered grizzly bears often manage to steal wolf kills. This could be critical if other food sources such as fish populations continue to decline. Coyote and foxes still thrive, but in smaller numbers; perhaps due to competition with wolves. Fewer small predators have allowed populations of rodents and other small mammals to recover. It has even been suggested that deer and elk health has improved because they must move more quickly and remain alert with wolves in the area. Wolves in Yellowstone Today The expansion of the wolf population has been amazing. In 2011, the US Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that there were about 1,650 wolves in Yellowstone National Park. In addition, the wolves were taken off the endangered-species list in Idaho and Montana. Today, the packs in Yellowstone range from two to eleven wolves. The size of the packs varies with the size of the prey. Wolves are currently hunted in areas surrounding Yellowstone National Park. The National Park Service is still monitoring the wolf population in the park and surrounding areas. Hope for the Beaver? Beavers are among the most persistent wildlife on the planet.  Their reputation of nuisance comes from the challenge of discouraging them once they become attached to a stream or river. While they prefer willows, they can survive from other tree species, such as aspens. The National Park Service continues to monitor the beaver population. It is possible that over time the combination of reduced elk populations, improving aspens and willows, and a wet weather period could combine to create ideal conditions for their return.

Pollution And Its Effects On The World - 1515 Words

Introduction Pollution is one of the biggest killers, affecting more than 100 billion worldwide. One of the countries suffering the most from this growing problem is China. 5000 people or more die every day from drinking unclean water, and people who live in high-density air polluted areas have a greater risk of death from lung diseases and cancers (Rinkesh, 2009, line 3). Pollution is a problem that needs to be reduced, It will never be completely eliminated but we can help these rising problems by taking the proper action. In my group’s Global Project we have decided to tackle this problem through awareness. Identifying The Problem In China, there are efforts being made, but not in the correct ways. Located outside of Beijing is a secret company who buy plastic bottles from people and turn these water bottles into chemical fibers that are then dumped into water. The water is then polluted because they do not have proper sewage or filtration systems. This is causing more harm than good. People selling their plastics to this company don’t realize they re hurting their country and people more because all they are educated on is the money they will receive from selling the bottles. This company is held secret and so is its location because it is illegal business. Proposed Solution China is one of the most populated and polluted countries in the world. It produces more than 254 million tons of garbage a year (Hays, 2014, para 1). With the help of a sewage system thisShow MoreRelatedPollution And Its Effects On The World975 Words   |  4 PagesPollution is a problem that affects almost every country in the world. It has had dramatic effects across the landscape of society. Pollution influences both developed and developing countries. Mexico is a prime example of a developed country that struggles with air pollution severely. In the early 1970’s Mexico had zero regulations on industrial plants. 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