Marketing management and strategy - The UK music industry Essay

Marketing management and strategy - The UK music industry - Essay Example The UK music industry is facing dramatic changes caused by shifts in the patterns people buy music tracks and albums. Online music distribution is changing the rules of the market introducing both major threats and growth opportunities for music labels and distributors. Whereas increased download opportunities and digital format preferences are threatening traditional music specialty stores, legal music websites and music producers have to find creative ways to fight back internet piracy to achieve targeted rates of returns. Online market demand is dominated by teenagers who have shifted their purchases from singles CDs to mostly illegal downloads of singles tracks, stimulated by continually evolving software and P2P networks. In order to survive, market players have to reconsider their strategies and value propositions – by mergers of music labels; flexible pricing and value-added offers by online distributors and active ethical campaigns, the challenge before these companies is to convert the internet medium from a threat to copyrighted material into an effective distribution channel. b. Analysing the competitive impairment using Porter's five forces Rivalry among competing sellers in the industry - rivalry among legal internet music sites is not too intensive, because the legal online download industry is underdeveloped and growing at a very high speed, which means that companies gain market share from a rising number of new customers, converting their downloads from illegal to legal. Apple iTunes has over 70% of the market, which places it into an almost monopolistic position as a market leader. Still, rivalry is expected to increase, as the number of competitors increases, and as customers can easily switch from 1 site to the other (except for Apple and Sony that sell music in formats compatible for their own products). Competitive pressure from substitute products - substitute "products" for online distributors can be considered to be rival traditional distributors for example. The power of substitute distributors is low, because the internet medium provides lower costs, greater flexibility, speed and value propositions as compared to traditional music retailers. Potential entry of new competitors - relatively low costs for set-up and management of web-sites for download mean low entry barriers. Entry of new competitors is likely to be attracted by the growing number of legal sales (from 100,000 to 500,000 by August 2004). The bargaining power of suppliers - suppliers for online music distributors are music producers. Provided there are only 5 major music producers that hold the exclusive rights for famous artistes and musicians, the bargaining power of suppliers is big in terms of price settings - e.g. the music label get 65p of a typical 99 p download. Suppliers include the 5 major labels and smaller independent music labels. Consolidation among big labels (Sony and BMG) is likely to increase bargaining power of suppliers. The bargaining power of buyers of the product - the power of buyers is big in terms that surfers, using new software and P2P networks are shaping the face of the industry. Online distributors have to find ways to attract and retain customers by stimulating them to actually make purchases and switch to legal downloads. c. The impact of the Internet on the competitive environment Internet is the trigger of the digital music revolution. It has changed the whole music industry thus forcing music companies and artistes to reconsider the way music is being sold and distributed. Internet has a number of positive influences on music companies. Through this popular and easily accessible medium artistes and companies have access to a wider global audience and have opened up new revenue streams. Internet has also diminished the bargaining po

VOLUNTARY SUSTAINABILITY DISCLOSURE (Accounting) Essay

VOLUNTARY SUSTAINABILITY DISCLOSURE (Accounting) - Essay Example It may be argued that the above definition portrays a simplistic view of sustainability. Hence, one of the greatest difficulties encountered by corporations is to break down the sustainability phenomenon into objective goals. According to O’Dwyer’s definition of what he terms as managerial capture, corporations must define sustainability for themselves keeping in view their primary concern of shareholder wealth maximization (O’Dwyer, 2003). This has called into question the existence of the â€Å"social† aspect in â€Å"corporate social responsibility†. Sustainability must not be viewed from organization’s perspective; rather, it should be viewed from the perspective of the holistic ecosystem. Owing to an increased focus towards sustainability in the corporate world, there have been expectations from accountants to adopt an influential role in using sustainability in a positive way to enable stakeholders achieve their goals. The environmental impact of the firm’s operations on its assets, liabilities, revenues and costs has been one way of incorporating sustainability into financial statements. ... â€Å"Integrated reporting† has, therefore, evolved as a relatively new concept which reflects KPIs depicting the organization’s economic, social and environmental performance (Gould, 2011). This, however, requires managerial co ordination and collaboration across all organizational levels and that the processes for gathering non-financial data are similar to those for financial reporting. Integrated reporting may not be possible even with a holistic reporting of social and environmental risks. Quantifying such non-financial information and developing appropriate KPIs for it is in itself may present a challenging task. Considering the trend towards sustainability reporting, various tools and techniques have been developed for accountants to incorporate this. Accounting like its social sciences counterparts relates to socio-economic framework of the society. Traditional experiments in the field have focused on multi-column accounting, triple-entry record keeping and the more recent, narrative disclosures (Bebbington, Brown, & Frame, 2007). Some quantification of data has been made including the number of workers employed, emissions resulting from use of product, use of resources versus the amount of final product produced etc. Researchers have called on placing greater emphasis on stakeholders to provide for multi-layered accounts and address power differentials in the social and environmental reporting (Bebbington, Brown, & Frame, 2007). Therefore, a transition is being made from the â€Å"monologic† accounting practices to â€Å"polyvocal citizenship† approach (Gray, Dey, Owen, Evans, & Zadek, 1997). Procedures such as SAMs (Sustainability Assessment Modeling Systems) have been adopted in the U.K whereby costs that were traditionally considered

The Geotechnical Engineering On Soil Engineering Essay

The Geotechnical Engineering On Soil Engineering Essay Many soils can prove problematic in geotechnical engineering since they can expand, collapse, undergo excessive settlement, have a distinct lack of strength or be corrosive. Thus different soils have different weaknesses and cause different problems this problems can range from a small crack in the wall to a sinkhole that destroys a town. During the viability analysis and planning stages of projects that involves infrastructure, it is important to identify problematic soils since this could save costs and/or redesign of the project later on. If it is noted before the project is started the project can be relocated or the soil adjusted to meet the projects demands. A portion of the Gautrain rail, approximately 16 km, from Pretoria to Centurion traverse on dolomitic grounds. Of this 16 km about 5.8 km of the rail were constructed on viaduct with the remaining portion directly on ground level. It is known that the construction on the problem soil dolomite is difficult. When a development is undertaken on dolomite it requires special investigations that are conducted by specialist in the investigation of dolomitic terrain. Developed areas such as Gauteng have high levels of urbanisation. The construction on dolomite in these areas poses a potential risk to the safety of many people and the structures in which they work and live. In this report the geology of dolomite, were it can be found, why the soil is considered problematic as well as the solutions and improvements that can be done to be able to build on dolomite will be discussed. 2. Location and distribution Detailed soil maps would be a first choice of information source in a civil construction project when information on the soil type is needed. But with the exception of certain metropolitan areas of the Western Cape and the Gauteng Provence, detailed soil maps are not often available (P Page-Green, 2008). A combination of aspects such as topography, climate and the soil pattern are the basic fundamentals of South African soil maps. There are two major dolomite occurrences in South Africa namely, in the Transvaal Sequence the Chuniespoort Group and in Griqualand west Sequence the Campbell Group (Wagener F von M, 1985). Soils that develop on dolomite have unique problems. These soils are best identified from standard geological maps. When constructing on dolomite it is crucial that the extent of the problem is identified well in advance thus the use of soil maps during construction is normally redundant. It is not always easy to detect dolomitic soils since it is not normally directly exposed to the surface. Roughly speaking about 25% of the Gauteng province, and parts of Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Northern Province are underlain by dolomite. These areas can be seen on the geological maps below were the blue parts are the dolomite.http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSGUgF0OReutcRPt8uC2klISB-nMc-Adm_G0YlBqowa1WYU14FPZQhttp://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSGUgF0OReutcRPt8uC2klISB-nMc-Adm_G0YlBqowa1WYU14FP ZQ Figure : Distribution of dolomite in Gauteng Figure : Distribution of dolomite in South Africa (Council for Geocience, 2008) On the map bellow it can be seen that the area between centurion and Pretoria were the rail of the Gautrain was constructed is underlain by dolomite. The band of dolomite surrounds the granitic dome of Johannesburg Figure : Geological map of the area surrounding the Gautrain site (Gautrain,2009) 3. Geology of Dolomite Ancient carbonate rocks contains predominantly two minerals namely calcite (CaCO3) or dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2).  A carbonate rock is known as limestone if it is dominated by calcite (more than 95% with less than 5% dolomite), when it is dominated by dolomite (the mineral) it is called dolomite (the rock) (Warren, 2000). When dolomite is in a rock formation it contains more than 90% dolomite with the remaining portion being calcite, detrital minerals and chert. Very few sedimentary dolomites are strictly stoichiometric, i.e. CaMg(CO3)2, and can be better represented as: Ca(1+x)Mg(1-x)(CO3)2, by encompassing the range from calcian to magnesian dolomites (Warren, 2000). Dolomite is one of the 8 major problem soils (Expansive, Dispersive, Collapsible, Saline, Acid sulphate containing material, Compressive, dolomitic, and soils prone to liquefaction) found in South Africa (P Page-Green, 2008). Dolomite which is a rock containing calcium-magnesium carbonates have a distinctive elephant skin texture when weathered by even slightly acidic water. Figure : Elephant skin weathering of dolomite (Council for Geocience, 2008) This weathering occurs when water takes up carbon dioxide from either the atmosphere or the soil to for a weak carbonic acid. It takes up the most carbon dioxide from the soil since it contains 90% more than the atmosfhere. Dolomite has a higher solubility that other rocks with the significant solution observed in months or years since the dissolution processes is slowly in slightly acidic water. Elephant skin weathering of Dolomite This process may be represented with the following chemistry equation: CaMg(CO3)2 + 2 H2CO3  Ã‚   à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã‚   Ca(HCO3)2 + Mg(HCO3)2 The dissolution process thus leads to the formation of underground caves and or cavities. After this weathering process has taken place the formation of Wad, a complex residual soil mantle occurs which then overlays the dolomite bedrock. The known characteristics for this weak Wad material are low density, highly erodible and highly compressible. These characteristics of the soil make it unsuitable for foundation building on top of it. Within this Wad layer very hard chert can be found ranging from 7mm to 1m in depth. This chert (silica) forms bands that are discontinuous and since it is found in the soft Wad it is unsuitable to support a foundation. Within the soil strata flouters or otherwise known as boulders of solid rock are present. These flouters are formed due to pinnacles that have either fallen or have been undermined. The floaters are surrounded by soil making construction on it hazardous since the size of the floater and the strength of the soil undelaying it is not known. The bedrock of dolomitic strata consists of a series of rock pinnacles. These pinnacles are normally between 10 20 m in length. In boreholes drilled just 10 m apart the bedrock depth can differ by 30m or more. The depth of the solid bedrock from ground level can vary from a few meters to depths that are greater than 100 meters. In the case of the Gautrain the solid bedrock was found 30 meters below the ground surface at some of the sites. It is not easy to determine where the bedrock is. Thus specialised drillings (inspection holes) need to be made to determine the location of the solid bedrock. These holes are drilled to ensure that a foundation is not build on a floater or on the hard chert layer. 4. Why the soil is problematic Two of the mayor problems associated with dolomite are the formation of sinkholes and dolines. 4.1 Sinkholes As the dolomite dissolute cavities form which leads to the formation of cracks in the form of an arch. These cracks get wider and longer as the soil is eroded and the cavities get bigger. When the underlying soil is triggered in the middle by a disturbing agent or the cavities get big enough a sinkhole is formed. With small sinkholes the cross-section resembles a bottleneck as soil falls through a cavity. Sinkholes can occurs suddenly or over time and forms a hole ranging in sizes. The sinkhole can be classified in terms of its size as proposed by Buttrick and Van Schalkwyk, as shown in the table below. Maximum diameter of surface manifestation (m) Terminology Small sinkhole 2 5 Medium-size sinkhole 5 15 Large sinkhole > 15 Very large sinkhole Table 1. Suggested classification of sinkholes in terms of size (Buttrick Van Schalkwyk, 1995) Figure : the formation of a sinkhole The formation of sinkholes can directly be linked to the changes in the water table. Almost all sinkhole formations are due to human activities. These activities include the dewatering due to mines, leaking utility services and abstraction of ground water. Sinkholes can be disastrous and can lead to loss of property or live as noted in the past. 4.2 Dolines Dolines can be described as an enclosed depression. Dolines form as a result of the compression of the dolomite residuum at certain depths. There are two main types of dolines namely dewatering type and saturation type. There is another type of doline that is referred to as a partially developed sinkhole which is caused by the erosion of the subsurface materials (Council for Geocience, 2008). Dewatering-type Doline A dewatering-type doline occurs gradually till it forms a large enclosed depression at the end of the process. The mechanism behind the formation of this type of doline can be summarised as follow: Within the dolomite rock profile there is a zone that is deeply weathered which is filled with potentially highly compressible material. A part of this material is usually submerged below the existing groundwater level. When the groundwater level falls rapidly the previously submerged and unconsolidated soil is exposed which results in a decrease of the pore water pressure. The thick layer of wad that is exposed by the lowered water table may cause excessive compression and rapid surface settlement. A dip otherwise known as a depression of the surface is caused by the settlement. Due to deferential movement surface tension cracks occur in the surrounding area. Surface Saturation-type Doline Surface saturation type dolines are usually less than 5m in diameter thus relatively small. The mechanism behind the formation of this type of doline can be summarised as follow: Occurs in situations where compressible dolomitic material underlay an area at relatively shallow depths with the ground water table either within or below the compressible material. Varying depths of the ground water table does not influence the ground surface movement. The materials at the surface are not saturated by the ground water table but due to for instance poor drainage or a leaking pipe services. The water penetrates the surface and continues till it reaches the low density material. The deeper low density materials settle into a denser state since it is saturated. This causes a surface depression due to the increasing load on the near surface materials. When the cause of the drenching is stopped the movement will rapidly decrease in general. The size of the depression is determined by the saturated profile underlying the area. The factors include the thickness, the depth the low density material is present, the configuration, and the extent of the saturation and also the location of the bedrock dolomite. Partly developed sinkholes When the subsurface erosion due to the ingress water is terminated it may also result in settlement of the surface which can appear to be similar to a doline. 5. Solutions and soil improvements when soil is present There are many ways to construct foundations to make it feasible to construct on dolomite. Some of these methods include: 5.1 Piles Piles are constructed out of circular concrete forms that are reinforced and socketed into the hard dolomitic bedrock. The construction of piled foundations into rock is not usually favoured in dolomitic or karst conditions. This is because of the serious installation constraints concerning the presence of the chert bands, rock floaters and also due to the nature of the bedrock that forms pinnacles. Where space is a constraining factor, for instance when there is a need to build close to roads or major services, it is considered to use pile to rock construction. (Gautrain,2009) 5.2 Raft Foundations Unlike piles that sits directly on the bedrock, raft foundations are basically large pad footings that floats in the soil mass. As discussed below the soil mas on which the raft is constructed are usually pre-treated to improve its density and strength by means of ground improvements. Another way is to pile the rafts itself by extending down to a more competent established horizon. There are different raft foundation options available that can be considered namely: Raft that spans between pinnacles with the possibility of concrete fillings between the pinnacles; When the bedrock is less than 15m below the ground and the voids and cavities are grouted to reduce occurrence of sinkholes, soil improvements can be done and the raft placed upon it; Or the raft can be placed on unimproved soil but still with the voids and the cavities grouted to reduce the occurrence of a sinkhole. Methods on how the soil can be improved: The conventional method by making use of mechanical roller compaction. Dynamic compaction can be done by making use of a crane to lift and drop purpose made steal pounders on the soil. Another method is preloading the soil with an additional load by making use of concrete blocks. This additional load almost the same as those that would be imposed by actual viaduct foundations. Usually about 1000 concrete blocks that are specially manufactured for this purpose and that individually weighs 10 tons are used. 5.3 Piled raft foundation The piled raft is a geotechnical composite construction consisting of the three elements piles, raft and soil which is mostly applied for the foundation of tall buildings in an increasing number. The foundation concept of piled rafts differs from traditional foundation design, where the loads are assumed to be carried either by the raft or by the piles, considering the safety factors in each case. The method used in this project was conducted by firstly pre-loading a 20m x 20m area, were the structure will be placed on, by using concrete blocks. Thereafter the substrata within the 20m x 20m column, that was constructed, are improved by grouting. This is done to reduce the existing voids and cavities present that can lead to sinkhole formations. After completing the grouting works, the piles are then installed within these grouted columns. Finally concrete raft also referred to as a pile cap were then casted over the newly constructed pile. (Gautrain,2009) 5.4 Solution used in the project and interesting facts Since the traffic could not be interrupted during the construction over the 14/Jean Avenue and N1/John Vorster Drive interchanges in Centurion innovative methods was used. After all the geological investigations were done and bedrock depth was determined the concrete shafts or piles where constructed. The shaft foundations were approximately 7 m in diameter and on some cases reached depths of 30 m deep. After the pier is finally secured the placement of the viaducts can start. There were made use of a cast-in-place method by constructing the viaducts form both directions. The sections are constructed so that the span of the viaducts will be post tensioned. To conduct this method a sophisticated hydraulically controlled concrete shutter was used. The viaducts were placed at an angle so that the rail segment crosses the intersection diagonally. This asked for innovative engineering as the pears needed to be shaped elliptically to be slender enough to fit in the confined space available but strong enough to support the superstructure of the viaducts. Since the design is that of an arch the mid-spans are shallower that the segments that rests on the piers this gives the viaducts a graceful curve. To ensure that high strength concrete was readily available batching plants were erected at each site. The length of the viaduct over the N14/Jean Avenue is 571.5m longa and has 6 spans of which the longest is 121m long. The length of the viaduct over the N1/John Vorster Drive is 502.75m long with 6 spans of which the longest is 109.8m in length. 6. Two landmarks caused by dolomite The destruction of dolomite is not all bad. It also provides tourist attractions such as the Cradle of human kind and the Sudwala Caves. On December 2 1999 The Cradle of Humankind which consists of several  strips of dolomite limestone caves and the Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and Environs, were declared a World Heritage Site. It contains the fossilised remains of prehistoric forms of animals, plants and most importantly, hominids. This declared area is 47 000 hectares and extends roughly between Oaktree, Hekpoort, Broederstroom and Lanseria in Gauteng. Most of the site is on dolomite which leads to two major consequences- the formation of caves and the formation of fossils. These dolomite caves started out as coral reefs growing in a worm shallow sea about 2.3 billion years ago. Currently there are over 200 caves in total on the site with a possibility for more to be discovered. The Sudwala Caves contain the largest dolomite chamber in the world namely the Owen Hall. The caves have a chamber which is a naturally formed amphitheatre of approximately 37m in height and 70m in diameter. The caves have a floor surface of 14,000 m2 over a distance of about 600m that are open to the public. The tallest stalagmite in the caves is about 11m in length. The water table fluctuated as a result to the changes in the topography and climate. This caused acidic water to seep through the cracks into the dolomite thus slowly but surely dissolved the dolomitic rock. As a result a series of underground chambers eventually formed were the dolomite have bean dissoluted and the rock carried away in solution by the water seeping out, or where it occasionally found an escape route and flowed away. Thus the Sudwala Caves was formed and it is believed that the caves are much larger and that some of the chambers are still to be discovered.

Sydney Tar Ponds Essay -- Environmental Disaster

In 1901, an Boston based invertor group opened up a steel mill on the southeast side of Sydney harbor in Sydney, Nova Scotia. This mill was named DISCO, or Dominion Iron and Steel Company Limited, which was ultimately a subsidiary of DOMCO, or the Dominion Coal Company Limited. DOMCO coal was mined in Dominion, near Glace Bay and was used to make coke. Coke is a hard, grey, porous material, man-made from the coal and is used to fuel the blast furnaces for smelting the iron ore. (Coke (fuel), 2012) DOMCO along with DISCO merged with the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company or SCOTIA to from the British Empire Steel Corporation or BESCO in 1920. The company soon reorganized and in 1930 under the name Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation or DOSCO. In 1957 it was purchased by Toronto based aircraft manufacturing company, A.V. Roe Canada and in 1962 was once again sold, this time to Hawker Siddeley Canada, where it become a subsidiary. (Sydney Steel Corporation, 29) Hawker Siddeley ran the company smoothly until 1965 when they decided to eliminate all money moving operations. It was also around this time that it was announced that there were only around 15 operational years left for the Sydney coalmines and that after this opening new mines would be too expensive and that DOSCO would be getting out of the coal mining industry. The Sydney mill was very outdated compared to other mills in western and central Canada at this time. After an outcry for Cape Breton County residence, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, announced the creation of the Donald Commision led by J.R. Donald. The job of this commission was to launch a inquiry into the Cape Breton coal industry. They recommended that a federal crown corporation be set up to buy and mana... ... Contaminated material will still be filled with cement and then contained in the area they are in, none of the material will be incinerated. Then the entire area will be caped off and landscaped for future use The first phase of this was completed in late 2009 while the second stage began in Spring of 2010. (Tar ponds timeline, 2007) (Sydney Tar Ponds, 2012) Works Cited Coke (fuel). (2012, 04 02). Retrieved 04 08, 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coke_(fuel) Sydney Steel Corporation. (29, 04 2011). Retrieved 04 2012, 08, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Steel_Corporation Sydney Tar Ponds. (2012, 04 07). Retrieved 04 08, 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Tar_Ponds Tar ponds timeline. (2007, 01 29). Retrieved 04 08, 2012, from CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/tarponds/timeline.html

African American Slavery Essay

This paper intends to discuss the daily life of African American slaves in the nineteenth century. The first Africans landed in 1619 in Jamestown, Virginia. By this time numerous accounts of slave life were published. The origins of slavery in the United States can be traced to colonial America where there was an abundance of agricultural land but not enough labor. In responding to that, this paper will also discuss, first, the importance slavery played on the economic and political development of the United States; second it will explain the daily life of African American slaves; and lastly defending that slavery is not â€Å"a positive good†. In conclusion I will explain what led me to this topic, why this subject is important to world history and how it’s changed my perception. To begin with the most fundamental fact: Slaves were not things. Whatever the law said, they were in reality human beings. A plow could not be evasive at work tasks, or burn down the barn, or escape – nor would it bleed when whipped, or develop for self-protection an elaborate courteous politeness when dealing with a master. An indicate complex of informal customs and â€Å"rights† sprang up because the slave was a person†. The institution of slavery has played an important part in the economic and political development of the United States since colonial times. North America developed race-based plantation slavery. The colonization of North America could not of formed without the use African slaves. The demand for workers increased due to the tobacco cultivation. Unlike indentured servants, African slaves were not protected by the English common law. They could never be free, and their kids would be born into slavery. The English saw that African slaves were accustomed to heavy agriculture labor and unlike the Indians they were able to surpass various diseases that were spreading in Europe. â€Å"As the value of African workers increased the gradually ceased to be treated at indentured servants. First they became â€Å"servants for life,† and then subject of ever more elaborate â€Å"slave codes† the defined their legal position in detailed ways†¦.. By the end of the seventeenth century the distinction between black slaves and white servants had become sharply defined: Servants were humans; slaves were things†. As colonies began to develop, the need for labor increased. Tobacco became one of the important crops in the new colonies. Western Europeans could not do the work alone so African slaves were brought to the new colonies to cultivate and care for the crops. Slaves became a crucial part in the development of the United States. In Virginia, slaves were considered the center of the economic process and that instead of a â€Å"society with slaves†; it became a â€Å"slave society. † â€Å"Slavery was the foundation of Virginia’s agricultural system and essential to its economic viability. Initially, planters bought slaves primarily to raise tobacco for export. By the last quarter of the 18th century, wealthy Virginia farmers were using slave labor in a diversified agricultural regime. Enslaved African Americans also worked as skilled tradesmen in the countryside and in the capital city of Williamsburg. Many also served as domestics in the households of wealthier white Virginians. † Slaves became essential in the growth of the economy. Slave life was not easy. African slaves lived under a wide variety of circumstances, such as; household servants, wagon driver, iron foundry worker, and skilled artisan. The majority of African slaves worked as farm laborers; growing cotton, tobacco, rice and other products. Some worked in large plantations or farms alongside their masters. Slaves worked from sunset to sunrise. Their masters kept a close eye on them. At night they had a curfew in their cabins, which was randomly inspected to ensure they didn’t escape. They had no right to leave their home without the permission of their master. African Americans come from a strong tradition of extended families, which was taken away from them when sold into slavery. Mothers and their children were separated from one another. The slave family was the most important institution for African Americans. Families, though oftentimes broken up, provided a foundation that prevented slaves from becoming completely demoralized. Most importantly, families provided slaves with a sense of community, not simply victimized individuals of oppression. â€Å"The family as a functional entity was outlawed and permitted to exist only when it benefited the slave-master. Maintenance of the slave family as a family unit benefited the slave-owners only when, and to the extent that such unions created new slaved could be exploited†. Slave owners often forcibly coupled men and women with the goal to produce healthy child slaves. â€Å"When you married, you had to jump over a broom three times†. Women symbols no less then men. â€Å"African slave woman: in the living quarters, the major responsibilities â€Å"naturally† fell to her. It was the woman who was charged with keeping the â€Å"home in order†. This role was dictated by the male supremacist ideology of white society in America; it was also woven into patriarchal traditions of Africa. As her biological destiny, the woman bore the fruits of procreation; as her social destiny, she cooked, sewed, washed, cleaned house, raised the children. Traditionally the labor of females, domestic work is supposed to complement and confirm their inferiority. † Woman were also alongside the men, from sun up to sun down. The start of their day begin with a bell ringing to wake them up at four o’clock in the morning and they are given a half an hour to get ready. Both men and woman work together, and the woman must work as steadily as the men and perform the same tasks as the men. Woman slaves who were pregnant were treated with no greater compassion and with no less severity than her man. Slave owners had a reserved punishment for woman that were pregnant; â€Å"She is compelled to lie down over a hole made to receive her corpulency, and is flogged with the whip, or beat with a paddle, which has hoes in it; at every stroke comes a blister†. In order for a black woman to function as a slave, they needed to annul themselves from being a woman and equal themselves to men. Slaves were treated with barbarous inhumanity. They often had to wear iron collars around their necks, drag heavy chains and weights at their feet while working in the fields to prevent runaways. Sometimes slave owners put them in stocks all day with gags in their mouths, causing their teeth to break off. Each day they were severely punished with whips. Slaves were tortured for the entertainment of their masters, they would get pepper rubbed into their cuts, burnt and beaten naked. The life African American slaves lived was cruel, although in time many were able to create a tolerable life and community for themselves. Virtually no one today defends slavery as a â€Å"positive good†. Slavery is evil. Today many historians have a controversy determining just what life was like under slavery. It is true that slavery brought riches to the port cities of Boston, New York, Charleston, and others. The wealth of America could not of been successful without the institution of slavery. The production of cotton does not just depend on soil or its climate but on the existence of domestic slavery. â€Å"Slavery is alike that sin and the shame of he American people†. Men, woman and children were robbed of their life, and there is no good in that. â€Å"This system is one of robbery and cruel wrong, from beginning to end†. This paper discussed the daily life of African American slaves in the nineteenth century. Along with that topic it explained the origins of slavery and its importance it played in the economic and political growth of the United States. From my research I learned how cruel and degrading the daily lives of African American slaves were. They were tormented and overworked. Their whole life was controlled by a man they called â€Å"master†. Women were treated with no greater compassion, they worked side by side with their men, and children who were born into slavery became slaves for life. I came upon this topic after taking a course called Building Community Through Diversity at Notre Dame de Namur this past semester. I became very interested in learning about slavery, white power, privilege, and race. To help me illuminate my topic I used both books and internet sources. It is important that everyone is educated about slavery, because never want history to repeat itself again. The institution of slavery was not a good thing but without institution of slavery the United States wouldn’t of been so rich in agriculture. African slaves played a major role in the growth of the United States, without the institution of slavery; tobacco, cotton and many other plantations would not of made nearly the amount it has done. In conclusion, the wealth of our nation bore with the institution of slavery.

William Randolph Hearst

William Randolph Hearst was born in San Francisco, California. He received the best education that his multimillionaire father and his sophisticated schoolteacher mother could buy†private tutors, private schools, grand tours of Europe, and Harvard College. Young Hearst's Journalistic career began in 1887, two years after his Harvard expulsion. â€Å"l want the San Francisco Examiner, † he wrote to his father, who owned the newspaper and granted the request.When William's father died, he left his millions in mining properties, not to his son, but to his wife† ho compensated by giving her son ten thousand dollars a month until her death. The Daily Examiner became young Hearst's laboratory, where he gained a talent for making fake news and faking real news in such a way as to create maximum public shock. From the outset he obtained top talent by paying top prices.To get an all-star cast and an audience of millions, however, Hearst had to move his headquarters to New Y ork City, where he immediately purchased the old and dying New York Morning Journal. Within a year Hearst ran up the circulation from seventy-seven thousand to ver a million by spending enough money to beat the aging Joseph Pulitzer's World at its own sensationalist (scandalous) game. Sometimes Hearst hired away the World ‘s more aggressive executives and reporters; sometimes he outbid all competitors in the open market.One of Hearst's editors was paid twice as much in salary as the sale price of the New York World. Hearst attracted readers by adding heated reporting of sports, crime, sex, scandal, and human-interest stories. â€Å"A Hearst newspaper is like a screaming woman running down the street with her throat cut,† said Hearst writer Arthur James Pegler. Hearst's slam-bang showmanship attracted new readers and nonreaders. During the last five years of the nineteenth century, Hearst set his pattern for the first half of the twentieth century.The Journal supported t he Democratic Party, yet Hearst opposed the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) in 1896. In 1898 Hearst backed the Spanish-American War (1898; a war in which the United States aided Cuba in its fight for freedom from Spanish rule), which Bryan and the Democrats opposed. Further, Hearst's wealth cut him off from the troubled masses to whom his newspapers ppealed. He could not grasp the basic problems the issue of the war with Spain raised.Entering politics Having shaken up San Francisco with the Examiner and New York City with the Journal, Hearst established two newspapers in Chicago, Illinois, the Chicago American in 1900 and the Chicago Examiner in 1902; a newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, the Boston American; and a newspaper in Los Angeles, California, the Los Angeles Examiner in 1904. These added newspapers marked more than an extension of Hearst's Journalistic empire, they reflected his sweeping decision to seek the U. S. presidency . Perhaps his ambition came from a desire to follow in his father's footsteps.His personality and fortune were not suited to a political career however. In 1902 and 1904 Hearst won election to the House of Representatives as a New York Democrat. Except, his Journalistic activities and his $2 million presidential campaign lett him little time to speak, vote, or answer roll calls in Congress . His nonattendance angered his colleagues and the voters who had elected him. Nevertheless, he found time to run as an independent candidate for mayor of New York City in 1905, and as a Democratic candidate for governor in 1906. His loss in both elections ended Hearst's political career.Personal life In 1903, the day before his fortieth birthday, he married twenty-one-year-old Millicent Willson, a showgirl, thus giving up Tessie Powers, a waitress he had supported since his Harvard days. The Hearsts had five boys, but in 1917 Hearst fell in love with another showgirl, twenty-year-old Marion Davie s of the Ziegfeld Follies. He maintained a relationship with her that ended only at his death. When Hearst's mother died, he came into his inheritance and took up permanent residence on his father's 168,000-acre ranch in southern California.There he spent $37 million on a private castle, put $50 million into New York City real estate, and put another $50 million into his art collection†the largest ever assembled by a single individual. Hearst publications During the 1920s one American in every four read a Hearst newspaper. Hearst owned twenty daily and eleven Sunday papers in thirteen cities, the KingFeatures syndication service (organization that places featured articles or comics in multiple papers at once), the International News Service, the American Weekly (a syndicated Sunday supplement), International Newsreel, and six magazines, includingCosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, and Harper's Bazaar. Despite Hearst's wealth, expansion, and spending, his popularity with the publi c as well as with the government was low. Originally a progressive Democrat, he had no bargaining power with Republican Theodore Roosevelt (1859-1919). Hearst fought every Democratic reform leader from Bryan to Franklin Roosevelt (1882-1945), and he opposed American participation in both world wars. In 1927 the Hearst newspapers printed forged (faked) documents, which supported an accusation that the Mexican government had paid several U. S. senators more than $1 million to support a CentralAmerican plot to wage war against the United States. From this scandal the Hearst press suffered not at all. In the next ten years, however, Hearst's funds and the empire suddenly ran out. In 1937 the two corporations that controlled the empire found themselves $126 million in debt. Hearst had to turn them over to a seven- member committee whose purpose was to save what they could. They managed to hold off economic failure only by selling off much of Hearst's private fortune and all of his public powers as a newspaper owner. William Randolph Hearst died on August 14, 1951, in Beverly Hills, California.