Biography of Niccolo Machiavelli :: essays research papers

Niccolo Machiavelli - Biography Niccolo Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469 in Florence , Italy. He is known for being a political philosopher, historian, writer, statesman, and diplomat. Machiavelli is best known for his famous, influential work, "The Prince" (1513). This brought him a reputation of: amoral cynicism, being associated with corrupt government, diabolical (Showing the cunning or ingenuity or wickedness typical of a devil). Machiavellian and Machiavellianism are two concepts coined from Machiavelli's views as stated in The Prince. Machiavelli is misunderstood because people judge him purely on the prince and because they do not read his Discourses as well. Many people criticize Machiavelli's drastic suggestions in The Prince. These people do not consider the state Italy was in when The Prince was written. Machiavelli wrote The Prince to help save Italy from frequent foreign invasions. According to those that knew Machiavelli, he was a religious and moral man. The Prince The prince was written in a time of large-scale blackmail, violence and political conflicts. political instability, fear, invasion, intrigue, Italy was repeatedly won and controlled by foreigners. The prince was Machiavelli's practical guide to Lorenzo Di Medici to act in this environment. In the final chapter of the prince, Machiavelli calls for an end to this choas, by suggesting Italy stand together with an army of their own against foreign invaders. Machiavelli wrote The Prince to help Lorenzo the Magnificent Di Medici to stay in power. He also wrote it to get back an advisory position in the Medici government. Unfortunately, Lorenzo did not agree with the suggestions in the book, so Machiavelli did not get a job. The Prince was different from the other documents of the time in that the prince had practical suggestions on how to deal with the current, existing problems of the period. The other documents were much more theoretical. There is a difference of opinion by readers of the prince, whether Machiavelli is essentiallly a good, religious person or someone that is bad and cruel. For example, Machiavelli praise Caesar Borgia , a cruel, vicious, dictator - hated and despised by many. Does this mean Machiavelli agrees that Ceasar's actions are justified? Machiavelli thought that Caesar's quick and deliberate qualities were just what is required to unite Italy. Machiavelli admired the qualities, not Caesar as a person. The Prince was written in 1513 but only published in 1532 after Machiavelli's death.

Relationship of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity

With the rapid development of dynamic global economy, increasingly countries are seeking breakthroughs of their economy development. Stimulated by these ever-increasing competition pressures, exploitation of new ideas and businesses which are of great potential to thrive economies, accordingly, is gainning widespread attention (Mansfield, 1972; Wong et al. , 2005).In consequence, on a global scale, not only some developed countries with strong capability to absorb and implement new ideas, but also some emerging developing countries, are taking measures to inspire entrepreneurship and innovation with purposes of benefiting economic development from these competitive advantages (Stoneman, 1995; Zhao, 2001). It is universally held that entrepreneurship and innovation are complementary and their combination can efficiently contribute to economy performance (Grupp, 2001; Stoneman, 1995).During the transfer from idea creation to eventually economy development, innovation is supposed to be a necessary condition, but it also demonstrates great insufficiency which can be completed by entrepreneurship’s mediating effects (Audretsch, 1995; Camp, 2005). This essay will primarily conduct a brief definition of entrepreneurship and innovation while introduce the role of problem solving and creativity, and thereby observe the synergy between entrepreneurship and innovation. Then theoretical and practical analysis will be made in their repective relationship with economy development.Ultimately, the holistic realtionship between entrepreneurship, in conjunction with innovation, and economy development will be discussed. Entrepreneurship and innovation are inclined to be misinterpreted identical since they both indicate creation and new development, but meanings they rootly represent are distinctive. Innovation is an instrument that intergrates, disperses and upgrades extant techniques and knowledge, then acts as a â€Å"conduit† for achieveing knowledge spillovers and technique invention, and consequently endows existing materials with a new capacity (Drucker, 1985; Drucker, 1994).Creativity, which represents generating new ideas, is the foundation of innovation, since innovation originates from creaticity (Amabile, 1996; Lumsdaine and Binks, 2007). In the initial stage of development, creativity is implemented to generate a wide range of ideas, and in a later period, innovation will rest on these creative ideas and further develop their potential. Entrepreneurship, however, is a type of organizational behavior focusing on opportunities rather than materials (Miller, 1983; Stevenson and Gumpert, 1991).It primarily consists of exploiting opportunities from various innovations, converting them into service or products, thereby commercializing it into market (Johnson, 2001). Problem solving spreads through their relationship and is connected with entrepreneurship in even every situation. It is the basis of generating ideas and then choosing the best for initiating and operating a prosperous business (Lumsdaine and Binks, 2007). In its definition stage, time is spent on searching for root causes and how the problem is inside correlated.Then in the discovery stage, energy will be concentrated on seeking plenty of ideas. In the following determination phrase, possible consequences will be considered by using criteria for success, and convert possibilities into practical application (Kirkham, Mosey and Binks, 2009). Arising from studies dealing with relationship between entrepreneurship and innovation, the synerty between them is generally accepted (Zhao, 2005). Firstly, entrepreneurship and innovation complement with each other (Zhao, 2001; Michael, 2005).On one hand, as Legge and Hindle (1997) have observed, innovation is the special-purpose tool of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs exploit opportunities and seek commercial success resting on creative ideas selected and provided by innovation (Zhao, 2001). Herbig and his colle agues (1994) take similar view and hold that entrepreneurship is one of three primary components of innovation, and presence of entrepreneurship can to some extent guarantee successful manipulation of another two.Entrepreneurship, on the other hand, enables innovation to flourish (Zhao, 2001; Michael, 2005). Schumpeter (1934) originally endeavors to associate innovation with entrepreneurship by identifying innovators as entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship enables innovation to realise further value by marketing them as products or services. Second, the development of entrepreneurship and innovation, and mutual effect between them for the successful practicality of innovation, demand support of innovative culture and management (Drucker, 1985; Zhao, 2001).The success of McDonald’s can be taken to confirm this point. Products sold in McDonald’s are not originally invented, virtually, they are just what had been produced in respectable restaurants many years ago. Nevertheless , by adopting a set of innovative management techniques and concepts, McDonald’s has standalized its products and designed specific working process based on which production can be analysed (Drucker, 1985). In consequence, McDonalds opened up a new area and substantially raised revenues.Before considering the relationship between entrepreneurship together with innovation and economy development, it is essential to respectively observe their relationship with economy development. Firstly, innovation is a vital contributor to economic development albeit with its insufficient nature (Grupp, 2001; Stoneman, 1995; Camp, 2005). In the perspective of necessity, Lichtenberg (1993) and Engelbrecht (1997) recognise this by pointing out that inovation can be regarded as a vital source of economy development.Another scholar, Porter (1979), confirms the view in terms of promoting the concept of value-based competitiveness, where innovation initially results in improved productivity, then the enhanced productivity creats higher competitiveness which eventually leads to better economy. For instance, 3M Company is famous for its characteristic of gaining growth through innovation. The company stimulates innovation by setting up the 15% rule-employers are encouraged to utilize 15% of working time to research their own ideas which may convert into new products in the future.As a consequence, a quarter of incomes of the Company are generated by products no more than six years old (Burns, 2005). In addition to the study supporting the necessity of innovation to foster economy development, there are some investigations demonstrating that innovation is not sufficient for continuously economy development (Grupp, 2001; Stoneman, 1995; Camp, 2005). Some scholars criticise that the role of innovation is overlooked and state that staying only in the sphere of innovation can not bring qualitative leap to economy (Allen, 1988; Audretsch, 1995).Camp (2005) approves of the view and h e maintains that many organisations are learning this lesson by experience. Their copious investment paid for innovation does not convert into property and can not continuously sustain economic development. Secondly, entrepreneurship is broadly accepted as a prominent driver of economy development (Schumpeter, 1912; Camp, 2005). As United Kindom Her Majesty's Treasury (2005) declared, entrepreneurship and its profound impact on entreprises have been one of five driving forces of the Nation’s remarkable strategy to promote economy development for the last ten years.Drucker (1985) also accepts the major role of entrepreneurship and he even indicated that present businesses could hardly survive if they do not secure entrepreneurial capacity. In addition, a positive relationship between economic development and entrepreneurship is captured by Braunerhjelm et al. (2009). They examed 20 countries in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for 21 years and eventually came to the conclusion that entrepreneurship could positively affect economic development, with remarkable improvement in the perspective of competitiveness and new firms establishment.Wennekers and Thurik (1999) are in the same line with Braunerhjelm and state that entrepreneurship makes contribution to economy development by some process such as enhancing competitiveness, creating new firms and new jobs, and improving productivity. Besides, with increasingly practice, Schumpeter’s notion (1912), where economic growth and employment are provided and motivated by new businesses and existing firms which result from entrepreneurship, is widely accepted (Reynolds, 1999; Fritsch and Muller, 2004).In addition, statistical research of manufacturing sector by United Kindom Her Majesty's Treasury (2005) demonstrated the essential role of innovation for British economy. As their research result shows, 1. 2 million employments were provided by newly established businesses from 1997 to 2005. However, according to Hoffmann and Junge’s research (2006), UK has still approximately 18 percent less businesses than America, and he maintains that much higher entrepreneurial activity rates in America may interpret this to some extent.Having considered entrepreneurship and innovation’s separate relationship with economy development, it comes to conceive entrepreneurship and innovation as a whole and discuss their holistic relationship with economy development. As have been discussed, innovation and entrepreneurship are complementary. This can also apply to economy development. With the insuffiency of innovation, entrepreneurship plays a mediate role between innovation and ecocnomic development, which will more fully realize the commercial value of innovation and enhance the overall impact (Camp, 2005).Some scholars such as Allen (1988) approve that entrepreneurship should be reagrded as the pricinpal mechanism to convert preliminary-phase innovation into econo mic development. For example, in the 1980s, in the printing industry, a potential market gap existed between conventional printing and office photocopiers. A famous German company, Bayer, responsed to the problem with the development of an innovative technology which can provide quality, price-efficient and small-quantities colour printing for office uses.Nevertheless, the traditional chemical company did not plan to expand into printing area, so no material measures were taken to fill in the gap. But a few years later, the market gap expanded to a large scale which finally attracted Bayer’s attention. In 1988, based on the innovation mentioned above, Bayer established a new enterprise, Xeikon, to produce printers especially for office. Consenquently, by the end of 1998, 160 jobs had been created and the company had captured profits of 45 million pounds (Burns, 2005). Entrepreneurship’s mediating role is apparent in this case.If Xeikon were not founded, the innovative technology might stay in the innovation stage for much longer time and the printing industry might not be able to experience the revolution in that age (Burns, 2005). With the necessary yet insufficient nature of innovation and postitive impact of entrepreneurship on economic development, many regions which have invested a large amount of money in innovation begin to learn the indispensable role of entrepreneurship and find that they need entrepreneurship to further thrive economies and these investments’ ecomoic return (Camp, 2005).Innovation alone can only yield limited economic influence (Camp, 2005). Through the generative process of entrepreneurship, however, more significant economic gains can be captured. For instance, in an investigation by Camp (2005), a rise of approximately 60 percent in average wages was acturalized in the most innovative regions among 382 regions they researched, by enhancing innovation capability through entrepreneurship. The Table 1 below, extr acted from Camp’s (2005) another research, also indicates entrepreneurship’s mediating effects on innovation.Table 1: Tesing the Mediating Effiects of Entrepreneurship on Innovation and Regional Employment (Camp, 2005). Regression Models| Correlation| Coefficient| t-stat| R2| Model1:Total Employment| 0. 723| 512. 8| 4. 67| 81. 1%| Innovation| | | | | Entrepreneurship| 0. 716| 121. 1| 26. 03| | Model2: Entrepreneurship| 0. 611| 16. 4| 18. 95| 48. 0%| Innovation| | | | | Model3:Total Employment| 0. 723| 2,494. 6| 19. 02| 48. 2%| Innovation| | | | |The difference between Model 1 and Model 2, especially the value of R2 which represents impact on employment, indicates that the direct effect of innovation alone (48%) is much lower than the combined effect with the mediating process of entrepreneurship (81. 1%). In other words, the mediating effect of entrepreneurship can provide extra profits for businesses as well as covering the investment on innovation capability (Camp, 2 005). In conclusion, this essay has disscussed the relationship between entrepreneurship, in conjunction with innovation, and economy development, utilizing theories and examples in business.Attention is devoted to the positive relationship between the three issues. Innovation originates from creativity and endows materials with new capacity. Entrepreneurship utilizes innovation as a special tool, and it explores innovation’s potential economic value by selecting and commercialising innovation into market. Entrepreneurship and innovation are thus complementary and the synergy between them significantly benefits each other. Problem solving exists throughout the process from ideas generation to business estabilishment converting possibilities into practical application.In addition, innovation and entrepreneurship are respectively vital contributors to economy development, whereas the insufficient nature of innovation calls for mediating effect of entrepreneurship. Many theories and examples have illustrated this mediating effect which will more comprehensively realize the commercial value of innovation. With good combination of entrepreneurship and innovation, in consequence, economy can be effectively thrived and overall economy development will be achieved. Word Count: 1904

Thesis topic: Violence in the Movies

Studies have recognized a direct link showing the effects of movie violence exposure and the increase in violent crimes and behavior involving today's children. Positive evidence points to the fact that the high quantity of violence in movies and on television has harmful consequence on today's youth. Reiner (1999) states, â€Å"Of course we can point fingers at Hollywood† (p28); however, the responsibility lies with all of us. With the constant exposure to violent crimes on television and in movies, it is shown to make it more acceptable in the minds of our youth to act cruel or violent toward others in various ways. Hollywood is responsible for too much violence in movies and there is a need for creative executives to take responsibility for what they produce. It is everyone's responsibility to address this issue (Reiner, 1999). The mind set seems to be that the T. V. bad person did it and got away with it, I can too. Over time, it becomes less of an issue, no big deal. What or who is hurt or damaged does not matter any longer. With the inability to differentiate between real and pretend, good and bad, right and wrong the inappropriate behaviors, crudeness, obscenity, physical violence, law breaking, anger, and hatred to name a few increase significantly. According to Harbert (1993), his three-year-old daughter Emily â€Å"totally changed the way I look at television. † What our children see on television does affect them (Allen, 2004). With this increase, the seriousness of offences amplifies to further deteriorate the behavior of our youth. Conclusion: Close consideration must be paid to decreasing violence on television for the long-term benefit of our children. The negative effects of the continued exposure to violent movies and television shows are proven to have a permanent effect on how conflicts are resolved. Quotation and Paraphrase from Article 1 Direct Quotation: Reiner (1999) states, â€Å"Of course we can point fingers at Hollywood. † Paraphrase of above quotation: Hollywood is responsible for too much violence in movies and there is a need for creative executives to take responsibility for what they produce. It is everyone's responsibility to address this issue (Reiner,1999). Quotation and Paraphrase from Article 2 Direct Quotation: According to Harbert (1993), his three-year-old daughter Emily â€Å"totally changed the way I look at television. † Paraphrase of above quotation: What our children see on television does affect them (Allen, 2004).

Intel’s Site Selection Decision in Latin America Essay

In a growing technological society, the demand for Intel Corporation’s products is rising at a rapid pace. Intel must open a new plant at a rate of one every nine months to supply this demand. In order to diversify assets and decrease risk, Intel must invest in a new area. This area must consist of a stable and transparent government, an export-based economy, a well-educated population, a non-union mentality and lower operating costs than the United States. Intel aims to invest in Latin America because the area currently does not have any plants and accommodates all of the necessary criteria. After selecting a continent, Intel was more concerned about availability of technical personnel and engineers to staff the plant; labor unions and labor relations; transportation infrastructure and costs; the availability and reliability of the electrical power supply; and the government’s corporate taxation rates and incentives. Therefore, the four countries in Latin America that were most appropriate are Costa Rica, Brazil, Chile and Mexico. Costa Rica seemed like a valid alternative. The advantages to invest in Costa Rica include a reputation for stability and democratic government, a collaborative government willing to adapt and change laws in a transparent manner, relatively lower wages, rare and non-combative unions, strict strike laws, excellent transportation methods, and tax exemptions. Disadvantages are that the investment could overwhelm the small economy (pop. 3.5 million); finding enough people with the right training would be difficult; there are not enough daily flights from San Jose’s airport; and relatively high electricity costs. Brazil seemed even more valid than Costa Rica. The benefits of investing in Brazil include a huge local market (not important due to 100% exports from plant); large populations to hire staff from; collaborative state governments; reliability (numerous high technology firms already located in Brazil); capable airports; adequate infrastructure; and available and reasonably priced electrical power. Drawbacks include security; higher overall labor costs; government indifferent about concerns; non-favorable government policies; and a high rate of taxation. Chile really impressed the Intel team upon initial inspection. Investing in Chile is beneficial due to the modern infrastructure and technical training programs. However, shortcomings include travel distance for expatriate executives; salaries for technically trained personnel are relatively high; engineer salaries were similar to those in the United States; absurd capital controls; site proposal far away from airport (Santiago); and no significant government incentives. Mexico has been a great area of foreign direct investment by many high technology firms. Intel hoped it could join the Mexican Silicon Valley. The advantages to investing in Mexico are reliability (prominent Guadalajara area); sufficient travel flights and capacity; low labor costs; large supply of skilled engineers and technicians; lowest electrical power costs; and free land for plant’s site and subsidized training for an extended period. Weaknesses of this site include lack of governmental incentives at the federal level; a high rate of unionization; and exceptions would be made creating an unpredictable environment. Given the advantages and disadvantages of each country, Intel should invest in Costa Rica. Costa Rica should be selected due to its export-oriented infrastructure, reliable power and advanced telecommunications, as well as its talented and educated workforce, highly educated population and supportive business environment. If a president of a country is willing to personally take a group of Intel managers on a helicopter tour of Costa Rica, then this demonstrates the government’s willingness to collaborate with further details and issues that may arise. Intel was not too big an investor for Costa Rica. The country desired a new competitive market to cater to and Intel provided a solid stepping stone in to a newly developed Costa Rican high technology industry. The vital factor was that for every disadvantage listed by the Intel team, the Costa Rican government had a non-preferential and transparent alternative to each one. The deciding factors for the other countries were: Brazil had insecure and unreliable taxation laws that had actually driven some states to the point of bankruptcy; Although Intel was a direct foreign investor, Chile’s capital control methods would prove unstable and questionable if they forced hidden costs on to similar portfolio capital investors; Mexico’s made a crucial mistake of granting exceptions for Intel – entailing an uncertain future if there was a change in government.

Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Religion - Essay Example Christ had a confrontation with Satan before the beginning of his public life. It is named as the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. He could surpass the temptations of Satan and started his mission of saving the humanity from the clutches of sin. The mythical experience that he had in the wilderness after the fasting of forty days and nights remains to be a key point in The Bible and it is considered to be the beginning of his teachings. The Holy Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe the temptation of Jesus Christ prior to his career as teaching. The Gospel of Matthew and Luke give the detailed description of the incident. The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 4 words 1 to 11 detail the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The Gospel says, â€Å"He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.† (Matthew 4. 2) Satan appeared before him and offered three gifts on three conditions. Satan asked him to change the stones to loaves if Jesus is the son of God and Jesus retorted by stating, â€Å"One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.† (Matthew. 4. 4). As Jesus surpassed the first temptation, the devil took him to the pinnacle of the temple in the holy city and asked Jesus to jump from the top if he is the son of God stating the angels will carry him. Jesus said to Satan, â€Å"Again it is written, do not put the Lord your God to the test.â⠂¬ (Matthew.4.6) Then Satan took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed all the kingdoms and their splendor and promised him these entire places if he adores Satan. Jesus rebuked the devil to go away and by stating that only God is to be worshipped and served. (Matthew 4.8-10). When Jesus came over all these temptations Satan left him. This makes that Jesus was able to come over all sorts of human emotions and temptations and it gave him great impetus to venture into his mission of saving the humanity. The temptation of Jesus Christ is a highly

Discuss the impact on businesses throughout the world if the European Essay

Discuss the impact on businesses throughout the world if the European Union were to partially disintegrate - Essay Example Thus, the main themes of the study will primarily focus upon this broad factor. Additionally, the main parameter that will be addressed in this particular essay will broadly reflect upon the possible amount of impacts that can prove to provide certain advantages or disadvantages in the near future to global business. A Report on the European Union For centuries, Britain has been able to develop itself in an economic manner by way of being an outward looking and an open country. In today’s scenario, the economy holds a high level of worldwide integration. Great Britain is considered to collect annual revenue of US$386,463 million which puts the country in a very dominant position (Cable News Network, 2013). The UK is considered to be the world's fifth major exporter of services and goods and the country is able to attract considerable amount of foreign direct investment as compared to any other European nation. Besides, it has been studied that the European Union (EU) is one of the largest exporters, investor and importers in the world. It has also been realized that there are lots of broad prospects of exports in the years to come. The member states of the EU strongly believe in the concept of absorption of capital and its proper utilization in order to maximize return on investment (Guardian News and Media Limited, 2013). This aspect can only be made possible when a nation becomes fully engaged in different types of business activities. The EU member states are very well versed with the business concepts and are able to perform the broad functions of the business at large. The EU member states are also very much divergent in performing the broad business activities with other foreign countries. The countries in this broad region seem to inculcate its broad business activities in the most operational sectors such as agriculture, media and audio-visual, automotive industry, business related services, biotechnology, communication and chemicals to name a fe w. In addition, the EU comprises of various other broad businesses that result in increased amount of business activities (European Small Business Portal, n.d.). The EU has been able to achieve all round sustainability in the overall context of business along with development to a very large extent. For the purpose of fulfilment of the business objectives, it has also been able to provide various business opportunities to numerous countries. Greece, Spain and the UK are some of the few countries which have been benefitted by integrating their economy with other EU member states. These countries have been benefitted as they were provided with ample amount of opportunities to expand as an ideal nation in terms of business. Large volume of exports along with imports has been able to provide classified measures in order to develop itself as a strong business destination. In addition, the

Pre-Socratic and Aristotles Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Pre-Socratic and Aristotles Philosophy - Essay Example The philosophers favored a logical or analytical approach in their explanation of occurrences (Sproul, 2000). Consequently, Plato’s philosophy was not based on Greek mythology. In addition, pre-Socratic philosophers were inquisitive about the essence of things. For instance, existence, source, and plurality of things were fundamental pre-Socratic questions. Ideally, Plato’s philosophy attempts or responds to these questions. In conclusions, Plato’s philosophy is a refinement of the pre-Socratic philosophy. Plato’s philosophy supports an ontological dualism, which proposes the existence of two forms of realities/worlds. In this sense, things exist as either ideas or tangibles. Each of this existence represents unique worlds namely intelligible or the sensible world. The intelligible world represents the universals and invisible realities (forms). Under this existence, things cannot change their state or appearance since they are neither material nor tempora l (Sproul, 2000). Thus, the intelligible world preserves eidos and particulars. Indeed, Plato believed that the abstracts are the foundations of the sensible world and that it is only through them that people acquire genuine knowledge. Aristotle’s philosophy was established natural science for thousand years. Key to his science is the nature of change and motion. In his philosophy, Aristotle discovered the fundamental principle of change that direct natural bodies. The principle holds in both the celestial and terrestrial, living and the inanimate. Under the Aristotelian physics, terrestrial objects move towards different part of the universe according to their composition. For instance, earth being the heaviest material, moved towards the center of the universe. On the contrary, ‘fire’ the lightest element tends to move away from the center of the universe.