How is the Innovation impact in Starbucks organization Essay

How is the Innovation impact in Starbucks organization - Essay Example Layout for all new stores is developed on computer with software for cost estimating. This not only reduces costs for development, but also helps regional managers to keep costs of new locations below target figures. Planning of new Starbucks spaces down to the last square foot, including layout of cases and brewing equipment allows managers and company representatives to work more efficiently. Starbucks is continuously looking for new ways to offer its products and expand its product lines. Developing partnerships with other food companies such as Kraft, PepsiCo and Dryer’s Grand Ice Cream has allowed the company to reach more customers with more channels for product sales. Starbucks also has established licensing agreements with United Airlines, Marriott Host International, Aramark, Nordstroms and Barnes and Noble to offer products in Hotels, airports, book stores, department stores and college campuses. Strategies for global expansion include choosing â€Å"a reputable and capable local company with retailing know-how in the target host country to develop and operate new stores† (Thomson & Gamble, 1999). Starbucks seeks talent within its organizational structure, so that executives can continue to focus on specific tasks such as buying and planning. Once a hub is established in a major city, managers known as zone vice presidents are relied upon for regional development.

Matrix for diverse learners Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Matrix for diverse learners - Essay Example 1. Childrens USA Wall Map (Available at http://www.maps.com/): This well designed map combines geography with state by state information in both pictures and words. What is best about its design is that some pictures may be familiar to the student and some may not. This prompts the children to ask questions of each other and the teacher or parent about them. All of the items are numbered so that you can look up the unfamiliar objects and then go to other resources to find out even more information. For instance if you look towards Memphis you see some strange man with big hair and a red suit singing into a microphone, when you look him up you are introduced to Elvis Presley. All the pictures are cartoon-like and humorous to attract more interest and attention, also adding to the creative nature of the map. The map is best for Early Childhood, as it is informative and entertaining, hearing impaired since it is completely visual, and gifted as it is full of knowledge presented in a very creative fashion. The pictorial representations are also appropriate for the multicultural student. The only flaw that keeps it from being useful in all categories is that it is rather crowded with information and may seem daunting to the learning disabled and certainly to the limited sight children who would surely have difficulty discerning the smaller features. It also may by too busy and distracting for those with Behavior Challenges like Attention Deficit Disorder and the like. There may be too many follow up questions asked to make it a worthwhile map for those children. In fact this company also produces a World Map that is even more crowded and condensed and would be even more inappropriate for these three categories. 2. Eyewitness Dinosaur (Produced by Dorling Kindersley / DK 1997): This Video has cross applicability to all of the seven categories. It describes in simple language, narrated by Martin

Corporate Social Responsibility In Multinational Corporations Commerce Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility In Multinational Corporations Commerce Essay The inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) has the ability to play an important role in the contributions to the development of local economy of a developing country. Such role includes capacity building, employment opportunities and the transfer of technology (Ite, 2004). Corporate Social Responsibility is a concept that has created global awareness. Its popularity arouse as a result of globalization and information technology. According to the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD): CSR is the continuing commitment by business to behaving ethically and contributing to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their family as well as of the community and society at large while (Frederick, 1994) sees it as an obligation of business to contribute to social welfare beyond their role of producing goods and providing services. Multinational Corporations (MNCs) therefore has a major role to play through CSR initiatives, focusing on the development of a developing economy such as Nigeria. However, for many MNCs, CSR is an outcome of public pressure arising from their operations in developing countries in relation to human right, environmental pollution and labour issues. In other words, it has generally being a pragmatic response to consumer and civil society pressures (Raynard Forstater, 2002). This proposal seeks to focus on CSR practices and understanding how CSR theories relates to its practices by MNCs in Nigeria using Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) as an example. Various researches that have been carried out focused on the activities of the MNCs and they have revealed that there was a mounting evidence of gap between the stated intention of business leaders and their actual behaviour and impact in the real world'(Frynas, 2005). Little has been researched on how CSR theories relates to its practices by MNCs such as Shell in Nigeria. Nigeria was chosen because it is the most populous black nation in the continent and the largest producer of oil in sub Saharan Africa. The question this project seeks to ask is, how far is Shell Petroleum Development Company improving on the social welfare in Nigeria? In other words were they able to practice CSR. LITERATURE REVIEW. The literature on CSR has produced much definition over the decade since its emergence on the business scene (Carroll, 2004). The concept CSR has evoked lots of debate among scholars. It is sometimes referred to as business virtue or social responsibilities. It means different things to different people. To some, it means the idea of legal responsibility or obligation and to others it means social responsible behaviour which is sometimes seen as a charitable contribution to the society. According to the foremost scholar of CSR Carroll (1983) CSR involves the conduct of a business so that it is economically profitable, law abiding, ethical and socially supportive. The commission of European communities defined CSR as a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in the business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholder in a voluntary basis. As good as the notion of CSR may seem there are different views by different scholars as to what constitute CSR. According to parsons (1961) CSR theory is rooted in four aspects of hypothesis It can be observed in any social system. It adapts to its environment i.e. its relation to resources Goal attainment i.e. its relation to politics Social integration and pattern maintenance i.e. its relation to culture and values. From these hypotheses aforementioned, CSR theory was then classified into four groups Instrumental theory- here it is assumed that corporation is an instrument for wealth creation. According to friedman (1970), the only responsibility of business towards society is the maximisation of profits to the shareholders within the legal framework and the ethical custom of the country. Any organisation that adopt CSR initiative will always have to answer the question to whom are we responsible? the answer to this question is usually to the stakeholder. Stakeholders here include the employees, customers, shareholders, staff in the supply chain and the community living in vicinity where the company is located. Political theory here the social power of corporation is specifically emphasized in its relationship with the society and its duty in the political environment. Davis (1960) introduced business power in the CSR debate. He proposed that business is a social institution that must use its power responsibly. In his own words whoever does not use his social power responsibly will lose its position in the society. Integrative theories it is considered that business ought to integrate social demand. Social demand implies the way in which society relates with business through certain legitimacy and prestige. This goes further to explain that business depends on society for its continuity and existence. Ethical theory firm ought to accept social responsibility as an ethical obligation above any other consideration. Donaldson and Dunfee (1999) proposed the integrated social contract theory. This theory was meant to guide managers to make decision in an ethical way in other words, to get involved with the society. To cynics, CSR is antithetical to sound business practice and serves to weaken its focus on wealth creation ( Clement-Jones,2005; Murray, 2005). Advocates however characterises CSR as necessary for successful business operations and as a gateway for business to look beyond wealth creation and also take into consideration the social welfare of the society in which they operate (Jackson Nelson, 2004; Rudolph 2005). In other words, businesses that are socially responsible can help to solve crucial environmental and social problems. Some studies consider CSR to involve ethical responsibility while philanthropic responsibility is seen as an add on ( Longo et al 2005). Other studies have made discrepancy between CSR as simple legal compliance and CSR as carrying out business operations with high regards to morality (Juholin, 2004). Henderson (2001), attempt to show that CSR distorts the market by distracting business from its primary role of wealth creation. These different views by schol ars have led to confusion as to what CSR practices really entail. Based on the fact that little has been discussed on how CSR practice fit or does not fit with CSR theories, my main project will involve critical analysis of CSR theory and how it relates to its practices by Shell in Nigeria. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE AND RESEARCH QUESTION The central objective of this research is To develop a better understanding of CSR theories and practices. To investigate on the CSR policies of Shell Petroleum Development company and how it relates to the CSR theories. To investigate the effect of their CSR activities in Nigeria. These objectives will be looked into in order to ascertain if Shell really practiced their CSR policies and to what extent does the policy create effect in the community which they operate. Therefore my research question will be to what extent is Shell improving on the social welfare in Nigeria? RESEARCH DESIGN The research strategy that will be adopted for this research will be a case study approach. A case study approach is a single unit of analysis such as a company, an event or group of events. In this case a company i.e. Shell Petroleum Development Company will be used. The case study type is exploratory as well as explanatory in nature. It involves gathering detailed information about the company over a period of time with a view to obtain an in-depth knowledge (Collis et al 2003). A qualitative approach will be adopted for this research because it is designed to study social and cultural phenomena. It will be aimed at conducting an in depth analysis of how Shell practiced Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria. Questionnaires will be used as an instrument for this research. These questionnaires will be administered to the host community where Shell is operating because it is assumed that the community understands the subject matter that is been analysed. The sample size of this research will be classified according to age, gender, academic qualification and the number of years of residency within the community. Simple Random Sampling Techniques will be used to administer the questionnaires to the member of the host community because it gives each member of the population an equal chance of being chosen and it also guarantee that the sample was a representative of the entire population (Saunders et al 2007) DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data would be collected using questionnaires. Through face to face interaction, the respondents would be gathered at a particular place and instruction would be given to them as to how to fill out the questionnaires. I intend to give out 150 questionnaires. The data that would be collected will include the age, gender, education qualification and the number of years of residency within the community. Secondary data would also be collected from sources like industry journal and other relevant published and unpublished articles. Descriptive method of data analysis would be used to analyse the responses from the questionnaires collected. This method includes the use of charts and tables to describe the data generated. LIMITATIONS Constraint to finance will be one of my major limitations for this research because it will entail me to travel to the Niger Delta region in Nigeria which is the region where Shell operates. Due to the fact that the questionnaires would be handed out by myself, some members of the community would want to be paid before they fill out the questionnaires.

Why does Economic Dependence on Product Exports in Underdeveloped Count

The landlocked country of Burkina Faso ranks 183 out of 187 countries in the 2012 Human Development Index, indicating that the quality of life in the African country is tremendously low (World Bank). Despite the United States having contributed $520 million to the underdeveloped country in recent years in an act of humanitarianism; Burkina Faso is still economically unstable, forcing them to heavily depend on their most profitable industries (Kerry). Gold mining is currently a source of income that the country is greatly relying on. In order to grow financially, gold mine managers have resorted to trafficking children for the worst forms of labor, driving them out of their schools and away from their families. Economic dependence on product exports in the underdeveloped country of Burkina Faso leads to child labor because perilous conditions must be endured, low wages must be paid, and workers must be willing to labor. The revenue made from gold mining in Burkina Faso is mainly produced by Burkinabe children, seeing that mining is a hazardous undertaking that comes with low wages. Burkina Faso is a newcomer in the scene of gold mining, as production has more than doubled, reaching 32 tons of gold in 2012 and increasing by 41% from 2010 to 2011 (DFATD). More than 200 gold mines are spread out all through the country, most of them remote and unknown of (Price). These remote locations are difficult for organizations such as local NGOs, UN Gift, and Interpol to track down, making the chances of arresting a trafficker quite slim. Children are brought to these mining sites, because the conditions there are very difficult to work in. Employers make their workforce work 14 hours a day, 6-7 days a week. Workers only receive room and boar... ...ks/2013/03/206636.htm>. Price, Larry C. "Burkina Faso: Childhoods Lost in the Gold Mines." Pulitzer Center. Pulitzer Center, 28 Apr. 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. . Price, Larry C. "Children in Burkina Faso Take on Dirty, Dangerous Work of Digging Up Gold." PBS. PBS, 10 July 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. . Sollinger, Marc. "Children Mining for Gold in Burkina Faso." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. . Van De Glind, Hans. "Migration and Child Labour." UN GIFT HUB. UNODC, Sept. 2010. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. .

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER FIFTEEN GAIA-S

GAIA-S Sura Novi now stepped into the control room of the small and rather old-fashioned ship that was carrying Stor Gendibal and herself across the parsecs in deliberate Jumps. She had clearly been in the compact cleaning room, where oils, warm air, and a minimum of water freshened her body. She had a robe wrapped about her and was holding it tightly to herself in an agony of modesty. Her hair was dry but tangled. She said in a low voice, â€Å"Master?† Gendibal looked up from his charts and from his computer. â€Å"Yes, Novi?† â€Å"I be sorrow-laden†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She paused and then said slowly, â€Å"I am very sorry to bother you, Master† (then she slipped again) â€Å"but I be loss-ridden for my clothing.† â€Å"Your clothing?† Gendibal stared at her blankly for a moment and then rose to his feet in an access of contrition. â€Å"Novi, I forgot. They needed cleaning and they're in the detergent-hamper. They're cleaned, dried, folded, all set. I should have taken them out and placed them in clear sight. I forgot.† â€Å"I did not like to-to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (she looked down at herself) â€Å"offend.† â€Å"You don't offend,† said Gendibal cheerily. â€Å"Look, I promise you that when this is over I shall see to it that you have a great deal of clothing – new and in the latest fashion. We left in a hurry and it never occurred to me to bring a supply, but really, Novi, there are only the two of us and we'll be together for some time in very close quarters and it's needless to be – to be – so concerned – about†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He gestured vaguely, became aware of the horrified look in her eyes, and thought: Well, she's only a country girl after all and has her standards; probably wouldn't object to improprieties of all kinds – but with her clothes on. Then he felt ashamed of himself and was glad that she was no â€Å"scholar† who could sense his thoughts. He said, â€Å"Shall I get your clothes for you?† â€Å"Oh no, Master. It be not for you. I know where they are.† He next saw her properly dressed and with her hair combed. There was a distinct shyness about her. â€Å"I am ashamed, Master, to have behaved so improperly. I should have found them for myself.† â€Å"No matter,† said Gendibal. â€Å"You are doing very well with your Galactic, Novi. You are picking up the language of scholars very quickly.† Novi smiled suddenly. Her teeth were somewhat uneven, but that scarcely detracted from the manner in which her face brightened and grew almost sweet under praise, thought Gendibal. He told himself that it was for that reason that he rather liked to praise her. The Hamish will think little of me when I am back home,† she said. â€Å"They will say I be – am a word-chopper. That is what they call someone who speaks – odd. They do not like such.† â€Å"I doubt that you will be going back to the Hamish, Novi,† said Gendibal. â€Å"I am sure there will continue to be a place for you in the complex – with the scholars, that is – when this is over.† â€Å"I would like that, Master.† â€Å"I don't suppose you would care to call me ‘Speaker Gendibal' or just†¦ No, I see you wouldn't,† he said, responding to her look of scandalized objection. â€Å"Oh well.† â€Å"It would not be fitting, Master. – But may I ask when this will be over?† Gendibal shook his head. â€Å"I scarcely know. Right now, I must merely get to a particular place as quickly as I can. This ship, which is a very good ship for its kind, is slow and ‘as quickly as I can' is not very quick. You see† (he gestured at the computer and the charts) â€Å"I must work out ways to get across large stretches of space, but the computer is limited in its abilities and I am not very skillful.† â€Å"Must you be there quickly because there is danger, Master?† â€Å"What makes you think there is danger, Novi?† â€Å"Because I watch you sometimes when I don't think you see me and your face looks – I do not know the word. Not afeared – I mean, frightened – and not bad-expecting, either.† â€Å"Apprehensive,† muttered Gendibal. â€Å"You look – concerned. Is that the word?† â€Å"It depends. What do you mean by concerned, Novi?† â€Å"I means you look as though you are saying to yourself, ‘What am I going to do next in this great trouble?† Gendibal looked astonished. â€Å"That is ‘concerned,' but do you see that in my face, Novi? Back in the Place of Scholars, I am extremely careful that no one should see anything in my face, but I did think that, alone in space – except for you – I could relax and let it sit around in its underwear, so to speak. – I'm sorry. That has embarrassed you.. What I'm trying to say is that if you're so perceptive, I shall have to be more careful. Every once in a while I have to relearn the lesson that even nonmentalics can make shrewd guesses.† Novi looked blank. â€Å"I don't understand, Master.† â€Å"I'm talking to myself, Novi. Don't be concerned. – See, there's that word again.† â€Å"But is there danger?† â€Å"There's a problem, Novi. I do not know what I shall find when I reach Sayshell – that is the place to which we are going. I may find myself in a situation of great difficulty.† â€Å"Does that not mean danger?† â€Å"No, because I will be able to handle it.† â€Å"How can you tell this?† â€Å"Because I am a – scholar. And I am the best of them. There is nothing in the Galaxy I cannot handle.† â€Å"Master,† and something very like agony twisted Novi's face, â€Å"I do not wish to offensify – I mean, give offense – and make you angry. I have seen you with that oafish Rufirant and you were in danger then – and he was only a Hamish farmer. Now I do not know what awaits you – and you do not, either.† Gendibal felt chagrined, â€Å"Are you afraid, Novi?† â€Å"Not for myself, Master. I fear – I am afraid – for you.† â€Å"You can say, ‘I fear,† muttered Gendibal. â€Å"That is good Galactic, too.† For a moment he was engaged in thought. Then he looked up, took Sura Novi's rather coarse hands in his, and said, â€Å"Novi, I don't want you to fear anything. Let me explain. You know how you could tell there was – or rather might be – danger from the look on my face – almost as though you could read my thoughts?† â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"I can read thoughts better than you can. That is what scholars learn to do and I am a very good scholar.† Novi's eyes widened and her hand pulled loose from his. She seemed to be holding her breath. â€Å"You can read my thoughts?† Gendibal held up a finger hurriedly. â€Å"I don't, Novi. I don't read your thoughts, except when I must. I do not read your thoughts.† (He knew that, in a practical sense, he was lying. It was impossible to be with Sura Novi and not understand the general tenor of some of her thoughts. One scarcely needed to be a Second Foundationer for that. Gendibal felt himself to be on the edge of blushing. But even from a Hamishwoman, such an attitude was flattering. – And yet she had to be reassured – out of common humanity – He said, â€Å"I can also change the way people think. I can make people feel hurt. I can†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But Novi was shaking her head. â€Å"How can you do all that, Master? Rufirant†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Forget Rufirant,† said Gendibal testily. â€Å"I could have stopped him in a moment. I could have made him fall to the ground. I could have made all the Hamish†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stopped suddenly and felt uneasily that he was boasting, that he was trying to impress this provincial woman. And she was shaking her head still. â€Å"Master,† she said, â€Å"you are trying to make me not afraid, but I am not afraid except for you, so there is no need. I know you are a great scholar and can make this ship fly through space where it seems to me that no person could do aught but – I mean, anything but – be lost. And you use machines I cannot understand – and that no Hamish person could understand. But you need not tell me of these powers of mind, which surely cannot be so, since all the things you say you could have done to Rufirant, you did not do, though you were in danger.† Gendibal pressed his lips together. Leave it at that, he thought. If the woman insists she is not afraid for herself, let it go at that. Yet he did not want her to think of him as a weakling and braggart. He simply did not. He said, â€Å"If I did nothing to Rufirant, it was because I did not wish to. We scholars must never do anything to the Hamish. We are guests on your world. Do you understand that?† â€Å"You are our masters. That is what we always say.† For a moment Gendibal was diverted. â€Å"How is it, then, that this Rufirant attacked me?† â€Å"I do not know,† she said simply. â€Å"I don't think he knew. He must have been mind-wandering – uh, out of his mind.† Gendibal grunted. â€Å"In any case, we do not harm the Hamish. If I had been forced to stop him by – hurting him, I might have been poorly thought of by the other scholars and might perhaps have lost my position. But to save myself being badly hurt, I might have had to handle him just a small bit – the smallest possible.† Novi drooped. â€Å"Then I need not have come rushing in like a great fool myself.† â€Å"You did exactly right,† said Gendibal. â€Å"I have just said I would have done ill to have hurt him. You made it unnecessary to do so. You stopped him and that was well done. I am grateful.† She smiled again – blissfully. â€Å"I see, then, why you have been so kind to me.† â€Å"I was grateful, of course,† said Gendibal, a little flustered, â€Å"but the important thing is that you must understand there is no danger. I can handle an army of ordinary people. Any scholar can especially the important ones – and I told you I am the best of all of them. There is no one in the Galaxy who can stand against me.† â€Å"If you say so, Master, I am sure of it.† â€Å"I do say so. Now, are you afraid for me?† â€Å"No, Master, except Master, is it only our scholars who can read minds and. Are there other scholars, other places, who can oppose you?† For a moment Gendibal was staggered. The woman had an astonishing gift of penetration. It was necessary to lie. He said, â€Å"There are none.† â€Å"But there are so many stars in the sky. I once tried to count them and couldn't. If there are as many worlds of people as there are stars, wouldn't some of them be scholars? Besides the scholars on our own world, I mean?† â€Å"What if there are?† â€Å"They would not be as strong as I am.† â€Å"What if they leap upon you suddenly before you are aware?† â€Å"They cannot do that. If any strange scholar were to approach, I would know at once. I would know it long before he could harm me.† â€Å"Could you run?† â€Å"I would not have to run. – But† (anticipating her objection) â€Å"if I had to, I could be in a new ship soon – better than any in the Galaxy. They would not catch me.† â€Å"Might they not change your thoughts and make you stay?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"There might be many of them. You are but one.† â€Å"As soon as they are there, long before they can imagine it would be possible, I would know they were there and I would leave. Our whole world of scholars would then turn against them and they would not stand. And they would know that, so they would not dare do anything against me. In fact, they would not want me to know of them at all – and yet I will.† â€Å"Because you are so much better than they?† said Novi, her face shining with a doubtful pride. Gendibal could not resist. Her native intelligence, her quick understanding was such that it was simple joy to be with her. That softvoiced monster, Speaker Debra Delarmi, had done him an incredible favor when she had forced this Hamish farmwoman upon him. He said, â€Å"No, Novi, not because I am better than they, although I am. It is because I have you with me.† â€Å"I?† â€Å"Exactly, Novi. Had you guessed that?† â€Å"No, Master,† she said, wondering. â€Å"What is it I could do?† â€Å"It is your mind.† He held up his hand at once. â€Å"I am not reading your thoughts. I see merely the outline of your mind and it is a smooth outline, an unusually smooth outline.† She put her hand to her forehead. â€Å"Because I am unlearned, Master? Because I am so foolish?† â€Å"No, dear.† He did not notice the manner of address. â€Å"It is because you are honest and possess no guile; because you are truthful and speak your mind; because you are warm of heart and – and other things. If other scholars send out anything to touch our minds yours and mine – the touch will be instantly visible on the smoothness of your mind. I will be aware of that even before I would be aware of a touch on my own mind – and I will then have time for counteractive strategy; that is, to fight it off.† There was a silence for long moments after that. Gendibal realized that it was not just happiness in Novi's eyes, but exultation and pride, too. She said softly, â€Å"And you took me with you for that reason?† Gendibal nodded. â€Å"That was an important reason. Yes.† Her voice sank to a whisper. â€Å"How can I help as much as possible, Master?† He said. â€Å"Remain calm. Don't be afraid. And just – just stay as you are.† She said, â€Å"I will stay as I am. And I will stand between you and danger, as I did in the case of Rufirant.† She left the room and Gendibal looked after her. It was strange how much there was to her. How could so simple a creature hold such complexity? The smoothness of her mind structure had, beneath it, enormous intelligence, understanding, and courage. What more could he ask – of anyone? Somehow, he caught an image of Sura Novi – who was not a Speaker, not even a Second Foundationer, not even educated grimly at his side, playing a vital auxiliary role in the drama that was coming. Yet he could not see the details clearly. – He could not yet see precisely what it was that awaited them. â€Å"A single Jump,† muttered Trevize, â€Å"and there it is.† â€Å"Gaia?† asked Pelorat, looking over Trevize's shoulder at the screen. â€Å"Gaia's sun,† said Trevize. â€Å"Call it Gaia-S, if you like, to avoid confusion. Gaiactographers do that sometimes.† â€Å"And where is Gaia itself, then? Or do we call it Gaia-P – for planet?† â€Å"Gaia would be sufficient for the planet. We can't see Gaia yet, however. Planets aren't as easy to see as stars are and we're still a hundred microparsecs away from Gaia-S. Notice that it's only a star, even though a very bright one. We're not close enough for it to show as a disc. – And don't stare at it directly, Janov. It's still bright enough to damage the retina. I'll throw in a filter, once I'm through with my observations. Then you can stare.† â€Å"How much is a hundred microparsecs in units which a mythologist can understand, Golan?† â€Å"Three billion kilometers; about twenty times the distance of Terminus from our own sun. Does that help?† â€Å"Enormously. – But shouldn't we get closer?† â€Å"No!† Trevize looked up in surprise. â€Å"Not right away. After what we've heard about Gaia, why should we rush? It's one thing to have guts; it's another to be crazy. Let's take a look first.† â€Å"At what, Golan? You said we can't see Gaia yet?† â€Å"Not at a glance, no. But we have telescopic viewers and we have an excellent computer for rapid analysis. We can certainly study Gaia-S, to begin with, and we can perhaps make a few other observations. – Relax, Janov† He reached out and slapped the other's shoulder with an avuncular flourish. After a pause Trevize said, â€Å"Gaia-S is a single star or, if it has a companion, that companion is much farther away from it than we are at the present moment and it is, at best, a red dwarf, which means we need not be concerned with it. Gaia-S is a G4 star, which means it is perfectly capable of having a habitable planet, and that's good. If it were an A or an M, we would have to turn around and leave right now.† Pelorat said, â€Å"I may be only a mythologist, but couldn't we have determined the spectral class of Gaia-S from Sayshell?† â€Å"We could and we did, Janov, but it never hurts to check at closer quarters. – Gaia-S has a planetary system, which is no surprise. There are two gas giants in view and one of them is nice and large – if the computer's distance estimate is accurate. There could easily be another on the other side of the star and therefore not easily detectable, since we happen – by chance – to be somewhat close to the planetary plane. I can't make out anything in the inner regions, which is also no surprise.† â€Å"Is that bad?† â€Å"Not really. It's expected. The habitable planets would be of rock and metal and would be much smaller than the gas giants and much closer to the star, if they're to be warm enough – and on both counts they would be much harder to see from out here. It means we'll have to get in considerably closer in order to probe the area within four microparsecs of Gaia-S.† â€Å"I'm ready.† â€Å"I'm not. We'll make the Jump tomorrow.† â€Å"Why tomorrow?† â€Å"Why not? Let's give them a day to come out and get us – and for us to get away, perhaps, if we spot them coming and don't like what we see.† It was a slow and cautious process. During the day that passed, Trevize grimly directed the calculation of several different approaches and tried to choose between them. Lacking hard data, he could depend only on intuition, which unfortunately told him nothing. He lacked that â€Å"sureness† he sometimes experienced. Eventually he punched in directions for a Jump that moved them far out of the planetary plane. â€Å"That will give us a better view of the region as a whole,† he said, â€Å"since we will see the planets in every part of their orbit at maximum apparent distance from the sun. And they – whoever they may be – might not be quite as watchful over regions outside the plane. – I hope.† They were now as close to Gaia-S as the nearest and largest of the gas giants was and they were nearly half a billion kilometers from it. Trevize placed it under full magnification on the screen for Pelorat's benefit. It was an impressive sight, even if the three sparse and narrow rings of debris were left out of account. â€Å"It has the usual train of satellites,† said Trevize, â€Å"but at this distance from Gaia-S, we know that none of them are habitable. Nor are any of them settled by ‘human beings who survive, let us say, under a glass dome or under other strictly artificial conditions.† â€Å"How can you tell?† â€Å"There's no radio noise with characteristics that point them out as of intelligent origin. Of course,† he added, qualifying his statement at once, â€Å"it is conceivable that a scientific outpost might go to great pains to shield its radio signals and the gas giant produces radio noise that could mask what I was looking for. Still, our radio reception is delicate and our computer is an extraordinarily good one. I'd say the chance of human occupation of those satellites is extremely small.† â€Å"Does that mean there's no Gaia?† â€Å"No. But it does mean that if there is a Gaia, it hasn't bothered to settle those satellites. Perhaps it lacks the capacity to do so – or the interest.† â€Å"Well, is there a Gaia?† â€Å"Patience, Janov. Patience.† Trevize considered the sky with a seemingly endless supply of patience. He stopped at one point to say, â€Å"Frankly, the fact that they haven't come out to pounce on us is disheartening, in a way. Surely, if they had the capacities they were described as having, they would have reacted to us by now.† â€Å"It's conceivable, I suppose,† said Pelorat glumly, â€Å"that the whole thing is a fantasy.† â€Å"Call it a myth, Janov,† said Trevize with a wry smile, â€Å"and it will be right up your alley. Still, there's a planet moving through the ecosphere, which means it might be habitable. I'll want to observe it for at least a day.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"To make sure it's habitable, for one thing.† â€Å"You just said it was in the ecosphere, Golan.† â€Å"Yes, at the moment it is. But its orbit could be very eccentric, and could eventually carry it within a microparsec of the star, or out to fifteen microparsecs, or both. We'll have to determine and compare the planet's distance from Gaia-S with its orbital speed – and it would help to note the direction of its motion.† Another day. â€Å"The orbit is nearly circular,† Trevize said finally, â€Å"which means that habitability becomes a much safer bet. Yet no one's coming out to get us even now. We'll have to try a closer look.† Pelorat said, â€Å"Why does it take so long to arrange a Jump? You're just taking little ones.† â€Å"Listen to the man. Little Jumps are harder to control than big ones. Is it easier to pick up a rock or a fine grain of sand? Besides, Gaia-S is nearby and space is sharply curved. That complicates the calculations even for the computer. Even a mythologist should see that.† Pelorat grunted. Trevize said, â€Å"You can see the planet with the unaided eye now. Right there. See it? The period of rotation is about twenty-two Galactic Hours and the axial inclination is twelve degrees. It is practically a textbook example of a habitable planet and it is life-bearing.† â€Å"How can you tell?† â€Å"There are substantial quantities of free oxygen in the atmosphere. You can't have that without well-established vegetation.† â€Å"What about intelligent life?† â€Å"That depends on the analysis of radio-wave radiation. Of course, there could be intelligent life that has abandoned technology, I suppose, but that seems very unlikely.† â€Å"There have been cases of that,† said Pelorat. â€Å"I'll take your word for it. That's your department. However, it's not likely that there would be nothing but pastoral survivors on a planet that frightened off the Mule.† Pelorat said, â€Å"Does it have a satellite?† â€Å"Yes, it does,† said Trevize casually. â€Å"How big?† Pelorat said in a voice that was suddenly choking. â€Å"Can't tell for sure. Perhaps a hundred kilometers across.† â€Å"Dear me,† said Pelorat wistfully. â€Å"I wish I had some worthier set of expletives on instant call, my dear chap, but there was just that one little chance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You mean, if it had a giant satellite, it might be Earth itself?† â€Å"Yes, but it clearly isn't.† â€Å"Well, if Compor is right, Earth wouldn't be in this Galactic region, anyway. It would be over Sirius way. – Really, Janov, I'm sorry.† â€Å"Oh well.† â€Å"Look, we'll wait, and risk one more small Jump. If we find no signs of intelligent life, then it should be safe to land – except that there will then be no reason to land, will there?† After the next Jump, Trevize said in an astonished voice, â€Å"That does it, Janov. It's Gaia, all right. At least, it possesses a technological civilization.† â€Å"Can you tell that from the radio waves?† â€Å"Better than that. There's a space station circling the planet. Do you see that?† There was an object on display on the viewscreen. To Pelorat's unaccustomed eye, it didn't seem very remarkable, but Trevize said, â€Å"Artificial, metallic, and a radio-source.† â€Å"What do we do now?† â€Å"Nothing, for a while. At this stage of technology, they cannot fail to detect us. If, after a while, they do nothing, I will beam a radio message at them. If they still do nothing, I will approach cautiously.† â€Å"What if they do do something?† â€Å"It will depend on the ‘something. ‘ If I don't like it, then I'll have to take advantage of the fact that it is very unlikely that they have anything that can match the facility with which this ship can make a Jump.† â€Å"You mean we'll leave?† â€Å"Like a hyperspatial missile.† â€Å"But we'll leave no wiser than we came.† â€Å"Not at all. At the very least we'll know that Gaia exists, that it has a working technology, and that it's done something to scare us.† â€Å"But, Golan, let's not be too easily scared.† â€Å"Now, Janov, I know that you want nothing more in the Galaxy than to learn about Earth at any cost, but please remember that I don't share your monomania. We are in an unarmed ship and those people down there have been isolated for centuries. Suppose they have never heard of the Foundation and don't know enough to be respectful of it. Or suppose this is the Second Foundation and once we're in their grip – if they're annoyed with us – we may never be the same again. Do you want them to wipe your mind clear and find you are no longer a mythologist and know nothing about any legends whatever?† Pelorat looked grim. â€Å"If you put it that way. But what do we do once we leave?† â€Å"Simple. We get back to Terminus with the news. – Or as near to Terminus as the old woman will allow. Then we might return to Gaia once again – more quickly and without all this inching along, and we return with an armed ship or an armed fleet. Things may well be different then.† They waited. It had grown to be a routine. They had spent far more time waiting in the approaches to Gaia than they had spent in all the flight from Terminus to Sayshell. Trevize set the computer to automatic alarm and was even nonchalant enough to doze in his padded chair. This meant he woke with a start when the alarm chimed. Pelorat came into Trevize's room, just as startled. He bad been interrupted while shaving. â€Å"Have we received a message?† asked Pelorat. â€Å"No,† said Trevize energetically. â€Å"We're moving.† â€Å"Moving? Where?† â€Å"Toward the space station.† â€Å"Why is that?† â€Å"I don't know. The motors are on and the computer doesn't respond to me – but we're moving. – Janov, we've been seized. We've come a little too close to Gaia.†

Moby Dick, Sophie’s World, East of Eden Essay

In today’s society, the issues of fate and free will are hotly debated, drawing in heated discussions of religion, chance, and the extent of free will. While some believe we have a significant amount of control over our lives exercised through free will in our choices, others believe an entirely different power is at hand in controlling our lives. These issues often find themselves associated in literature, with examples such as John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World. Among these books, there are different interpretations on the role of fate and free will in human life. In particular, these three different works of literature express varying shows of balance between fate and free will, and how easily that balance can be changed. Ultimately, it is the decisions made by the different characters, the reasons behind their choices, and the respective consequences that ensue that lead understanding of the different demonstrations of the authors’ interpretations of free will and fate. Free will and fate are often regarded in terms of a balance, in that there is some of life that is controllable by using choice, represented as our free will, while there is still another portion where there is little to no control, something we call fate. This observation of a balance between free will and fate is especially seen in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. In Moby Dick, Ishmael, our protagonist, finds himself in the company of Queequeg, the chief harpooner aboard the Pequod. While together, Ishmael and Queequeg weave a mat, with Ishmael passing the shuttle through the threads on the loom while Queequeg strikes the woof with his sword, to tamp down the threads. During their weaving, Ishmael makes an observation in that their current activity was like how fate, free will, and chance worked, thinking, â€Å"it seemed as if this were the Loom of Time, and I myself were a shuttle mechanically weaving and weaving away at the fates†. Ishmael compares fate to the â€Å"fixed threads of warped of the warp subject to but one unchanging vibration† on the loom. He then connects free will to his actions, â€Å"with my own hand, I ply my own shuttle and weave my own destiny into these unalterable threads†. He puts t he final pieces together by saying that chance is like when Queequeg strikes the woof, being he was â€Å"sometimes hitting the woof slantingly, or crookedly, or strongly, or weakly† that led to â€Å"producing a corresponding contrast in the final aspect of the completed fabric†. His connection with the mat making and fate demonstrated his perspective of the balance between fate and free will, and perhaps brings to light one of the more major themes of Moby Dick. He believes that free will is bound by fixed limitations we perceive as fate, and that our choices are limited to what we can weave around our limitations, with the exception of random occurrences called chance, which can alter the limitations fate puts on our expressed free will. In Moby Dick, different motive often leads to different choices, which overall comes together to establish various consequences. Queequeg, one of the crewmembers under Captain Ahab, had fallen ill while aboard the Pequod. In absence of proper medicine and medical attention, the most obvious conclusion was that Queequeg was going to die aboard the ship. He had even prepared for death by having a coffin made for him. At the end of it all, when it had seemed that fate had established his end, Queequeg simply claimed that he re membered he had some duties left to do ashore, and that he still had responsibilities. With his own will, he tried defy fate by recovering from his illness, attempting to give himself time to do his business ashore. The fact that the motive behind his prolonging of death was due to his responsibilities, one could easily interpret his decisions as noble and respectable. However, Queequeg was but one of the two members of the Pequod who attempted to defy fate, the other of which being none other than the captain himself, Captain Ahab. After losing his leg in an encounter with Moby Dick, Captain Ahab had grown rather obsessed with capturing Moby Dick, much to the point of giving up his sanity. However with all the stories of the great sperm whale, and even now knowing how destructive the whale could be, it was safe to say his search for the whale was ill-fated. However, even with fate clearly saying that his trip would lead to his own demise and possibly more, he was determined to capture Moby Dick purely out of spite and vengeance, two reasons that are often seen in negative light. What it all came down to was Queequeg’s noble intentions in trying to defy fate allowed him to recover from his illness and gave him more time, while Captain Ahab’s bitter motives ultimately led to not only the demise of the Pequod and its crew (excluding Ishmael), but also that of his own. Perhaps this brings to light another major theme of Moby Dick, in that it is ultimately our decisions in life and the reasons behind them that shape up how fate operates in our individual lives. This, along with the idea of the existence of human free will limited by fate yet alterable by chance, establishes the general idea of fate and free will have a crucial roles in making it possible to understand and comprehend Moby Dick and all of its themes. Just as fate and free will have important roles in determining how life is experienced by an individual, they also have key roles and determining of how an individual behaves. In a sense, it’s almost as if the decision of how a human is natured is a determinant in establishing the line between good vs. evil in a person. This good vs. evil concept could especially be seen in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Caleb Trask, the protagonist, struggles throughout the book while in a fight where he tries to suppress and overcome his inner demons. Caleb, son of Adam and Cathy, had lived his life in the shadow of his brother Aron, who was obviously in better light with his father. While Aron symbolically was the embodiment of all that was good, Caleb was the opposite, having had embodied evil, like his mothe r. However, Caleb demonstrates the usage of free will in the struggle of overcoming evil. This is clearly shown during the confrontation of him and his mother, and his realization that Cathy is a prostitute. When Caleb meets with Cathy, Cathy tries to convince Caleb that in addition to her being evil herself, he also has the same evil within himself, and that he is more like her than he knows. However, he realizes otherwise, that he has choice in whether or not he would be evil. At the end of their conversation, Caleb reminisces on what Lee said, saying that, â€Å"I was afraid I had you in me†¦ [But] I’m my own. I don’t have to be you†. At this part of the story, Caleb demonstrates understanding of one of the major themes of the story, simply known as Timshel. Caleb realizes that it is his choice, his own free will to overcome evil. He establishes that while there is evil in all of us, we are all capable of overcoming that evil, and choosing whatever path we wish to walk, all by using free will. While Caleb had ultimately come to the conclusion that morality is a free choice, other characters of East of Eden had other interpretations of morality. Aron, Caleb’s brother, for example had a problem with the overcoming of evil. His world had been neatly put together for him so that he only had to face good in life, to the point where his mother’s evil proved too much for him. Cathy, had been convinced that world was nothing but evil, and therefore accepted it and settled for using deception in order to advance in life. In the end, however, the evil she had spent her life embodying herself in proved to be just as overwhelming to her as it was to her son Aron, and she ultimately commits suicide. Caleb, standing at the crossroads of good and evil, successfully applies Lee’s advice and realizes morality is free choice, and that free will and determination are enough to overcome evil and lead a life of righteousness. By accepting that humans are imperfect and sinful, Caleb was able to realize that humans don’t need to be perfect to be good, and that true goodness comes after overcoming evil. Because he had applied Timshel in his life he became capable of living a controllable life, one with a moral destiny that truly belonged to him. John Steinbeck’s in-depth coverage of the story of Caleb and his choices truly make Timshel, or â€Å"thou mayest†, a very powerful and key theme in East of Eden. The role of free will in this story establishes the fact that e vil can be overcome by human, regardless of fate, and all up to moral decision. Just as previously stated and seen in books like Moby Dick and East of Eden, free will and fate are often seen as in a balance, sometimes with the weight over on fate’s side or vice versa. However, there are instances where free will can completely overcome fate in cases where it doesn’t seem to the slightest bit possible. Such an example of impossible overcoming of fate with free will can be seen in Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World. In Sophie’s World, the story of Sophie, a 14 year old girl who undergoes philosophy lessons, is followed. Sophie, who consistently receives notes not addressed to her but with ponderous questions such as â€Å"Who are you†, believes that her life is practical, and that she is living her own life. However though a complicated turn of events, it is shown that Sophie, along with her philosophy teacher Alberto, are both part of another man’s imagination, characters of his mind. Albert Knag, the man behind it a ll, can be seen as fate, in that he controls what happens to Sophie and Alberto showing that they do not truly have a choice, and that their sense of free will was but an illusion. Though the odds against them are tremendous, being they are characters in Knag’s book and in his mind, Sophie shows a giant show of free will and escape, using the help of Alberto. Using nothing but free will, Sophie does the impossible and escapes the book and becomes a spirit, able to roam the world but fated to have limited interaction with the world. However, it is shown that Sophie plans on attempting on have more and more influence in the real world and that she is not content with being an invisible person forever. Gaarder demonstrates a theme of how limitless free will truly is, and how fate can be overcome regardless of how the odds are stacked. With all three of these literary pieces, there is a similarity in that all three books cover the topic of fate and free will. However, these three books show different interpretations of the extent of the two factors, and what is and isn’t possible when interacting with the two. Such as in the case of Moby Dick, free will and fate are shown to be in a balance, with the two working around each other nicely. It is also seen that fate cannot be overcome, in that the demise of the entire crew was inevitable. In East of Eden, fate and free will were shown to have impact on how a person is perceived as good or evil, and how free will can potential allow one to completely overcome evil. In the case of fate, free will is shown to be able to overcome it, however only with tremendous effort and understanding. Similarly, in Sophie’s World, fate was able to be overcome, but again, only with a tremendous amount of effort and understanding. These three books together and their respec tive morals and themes can be directly applied to daily life. Free will and fate do have roles in human life, in that misfortunes can often be presented and perceived as fate, and naturally actions in the form of free will can additionally play in overcoming those misfortunes. By utilizing and exercising free will in daily life, the perception of fate as being something completely uncontrollable can easily be brought down to a more containable entity. Moreover, with the understanding of free will and fate that these three books offer, the opportunity for a life with a controllable moral future becomes available. In these three novels, the overall theme of a relation between free will and fate is existent. Respectively, the three authors of these books show their own interpretations of how fate and free will coincide, and how much control humans have on their own fate, or just how much free will they can exercise. However it is seen in all three books that with enough exercise of free will in the right light, positive events may occur, such as East of Eden’s Caleb overcoming evil, Moby Dick’s Queequeg recovery from his almost certain fatal illness, and Sophie’s World’s Sophie, who escaped her confinements of being a controlled character in another man’s mind. Though the authors may have had their own unique interpretation of fate and free will, with their respective limits, the overall message that all three authors would most likely agree on would be humans are given a tremendous amount of free will and are presented with different kinds of fate, and that what they choose to do with that free will ultimately decides how much fate will control their life.