Hawaiian Punch Short-Cycle

Marketing Problems – Applications and Decisions (74-232) Odette School of Business, University of Windsor II. Short Cycle Key person and his / her position in the organization:Kate Hoedebeck, director of marketing for Hawaiian Punch at Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages. Key issue:To prepare the 2005 Hawaiian Punch business marketing plan and coordinate the newly consolidated version of the three companies. Sub issues: 1. How will they increase market share? They already are the number 1 fruit punch drink sold in the U. S. 2.How will two distinct manufacturing, sales, and distribution networks to stock and sever an identical beverage for the same customers fare? 3. Determining the roles each will play in sales, profitability, and equity of the Hawaiian punch brand. 4. Will Cadbury Schweppes restructure for growth take focus away from maintain market leadership? 5. Can they achieve sales need to capture an attractive profit margin? 6. What are the potential competitor reactio ns? Why now? The 2005 business marketing plan is one of the key factors to ensure successful growth with the newly consolidated corporations.We are currently towards the end of 2004. By when must the key person make this decision? (Include your reason for this time frame)To allow sufficient time for the plan to be properly implemented, Hoedebeck should have it complete by September 1st, 2004. Stakes: what does the organization stand to gain or lose if it makes a good or bad decision? Potential benefits of a good decisionPotential costs of a bad decision Increased profitsDecreased profits Maintained market leadershipFailed product line Diversified promotion strategyLoss of focus from core competencies Expanded product lineBankruptcyLarger target marketLost jobs Happy retailers and foodservice customersFailed marketing strategy Competitive sustainability Over/under estimation of product or brand line More convenient for distribution and retailersWrong information in her analysis Quest ions you should ask yourself as you complete the Long Cycle: 1. Who are Hawaiian Punch’s competitors? 2. What stage of the product life style is their fruit punch beverage in? 3. What pricing/promotion strategy should they use for their product? 4. How will the consolidation impact growth? 5. What is their brand positioning? 6. What is their product line and pricing?

Jamestown and Plymouth Compare and Contrast

Jamestown and Plymouth By: Arrow Krueger United State History II Mr. TR Smith NPHS 24 October 12 Jamestown and Plymouth were two separate voyages set for America with different ideas and goals thought out for each. One of these voyages was coming to America so that they could have a better life for themselves, by making a permanent settlement where they could start their lives and their children’s lives again. The other was for economic reasons from a company in London that just wanted to obtain a larger market for manufactured goods coming from England.These voyages were improvements from what we knew of our world back in the 1400’s. Both voyages were varied a lot from one another but meet some of the same obstacles and likenesses. Each journey had things that set them back, and a lot of them weren’t even related to weather. One of the major setbacks was that a lot of people didn’t want to work. The work was very hard, they were starting a whole life new, and since they were, they would need to collect material for homes, if they didn’t have enough equipment for their work, they would have to start making tools which would tire them out fast.The work that they did ended up doing good for the settlers on both sides as a whole at least even if they were set back in the beginning of their time in the new world. The Jamestown voyage happened almost thirteen years before the Plymouth Voyage to America took place. In 1607, 104 men landed in what is now called Virginia. This journey was mostly for economic purposes from a company in London. The creators of the company wanted to expand English trade and obtain a wider market for English manufactured goods. They came on ships from England, and the names of the ships were the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery.They became the first permanent English settlement in the new world now known as America. The Plymouth voyage took place in 1620 and there were 102 settlers that came on this journey. This voyage was for people from England that wanted a different sort of environment, with different people and laws. These people were in search of a better life for themselves and their families with fewer problems than when they were in England. The people no longer had to worry about how their personal beliefs differed from others, and they didn’t need to abide by the same rules as the government that they had in England.This voyage is the one which mainly shaped the world that we live in now, with laws and beliefs used and allowed even as far back as the 1600’s. Jamestown was situated in the lands of the Tsenacommacah nation of Algonquian Indians in the eastern part of Virginia. The chief of over two dozen tribes in the nation was called Powhatan by the settlers. The Indians had peace for many years before to the arrival of the English, and while they were careful around the new settlers, they did not fear them. Hostile Europeans who landed in North Ameri ca decades before 1607 were common knowledge among the Indians.Indians respected strength they believed Europeans had and were amazed by their weapons. Even so they tested the settler's strength whenever they could. Settlers sometime stole corn from the Indians and Indians sometime stole tools from the English. Such theft occasionally led to fighting back which ended in the loss of life on both sides. Plymouth was settled in the lands of the Wampanoag nation Algonquian Indians in southeastern Massachusetts. The chief of the Wampanoag was named Massasoit. Several years before the Pilgrim's landing the Wampanoag were ravaged by an epidemic.Even with their earlier epidemic, they also feared attack from the Tarrentine Indians which were north of them, and the Narragansetts that were west. Massasoit noticed some common interests he shared with the colonists. Massasoit’s nation needed protection from the other Indian tribes and the colonists needed supplies, and most importantly, k nowledge of how to survive in the wilderness. John Carver, who was the first governor of Plymouth, and Massasoit agreed to a peace treaty in 1621 in which they swore to come to each other's aid, protect each other from insurrection, and never to steal from each other.Tolerance the Pilgrims and Wampanoag showed each other and the peace they worked to maintain were unique in the 17th century. From time to time, each had to yield to the other to preserve peace and address concerns of their constituents, but owing to Bradford's and Massasoit's leadership, peace survived for over 40 years, well after the death of each man. Two examples illustrate this good relationship. Jamestown and Plymouth have a lot in common, like both having contact with the Native Americans, both coming from England, each voyage took place in a different year, and they both sailed to America.On the other hand, Jamestown and Plymouth had quite a bit of things that were different from each other for example, their r eason to leave England, and the amount of people who came on each voyage. Nevertheless both contributed greatly to present American heritage of law, custom, government, religion, and heritage. Therefore Jamestown and Plymouth were very important to modern America, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without these two groups.

Supply Chain Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Supply Chain Managment - Essay Example The environmental changes have given rise to problems such as uncertain climatic changes that threaten the existence of all life forms. The Mileage calculator introduced a new parameter of monitoring the addition of pollution in the environment. In the mean time, by utilizing an unbroken supply chain with quality and cost effectiveness, the supermarket suppliers develop new supply chains from farm lands to the supermarket with innovation and new strategic allies. These supply lines some times use airplanes, some times trains and of course all of them use the road routes. For example, The Netherlands is the fourth biggest European Union exporter of fresh fruits. The largest export includes grapes 16%, apple 15% and orange 9% (CBI, 2005), Recommendations to Corporate Strategists As a consultant to the corporate strategists of the fruit and vegetable supermarket I recommend that the corporate should not compromise on the quality of the products at any cost. Secondly, it has to take step s to offer the best price to their customers. Thirdly, the environment sustainability issue should also be a major concern for the corporate. The quality of the product should be maintained within the over all cost, no matter from where the products get imported. As far as the millage calculator is concerned, most of the time there are no other solutions to use means of transportation like buses, trains, and air planes to transport fresh products to the customers. The cost (in terms of cash, environmental sustainability, labor and sometimes the quality) does not rely upon the nearest available products in comparison to fresh products from far places. Here the question arises that how to maintain the affordable cost for the customers... This paper approves that the earth is facing new challenges in the form of global warming, toxic rains, earthquakes, floods, melting of icebergs and big typhoons as well as cyclones and hurricanes. The environmental changes have given rise to problems such as uncertain climatic changes that threaten the existence of all life forms. The Mileage calculator introduced a new parameter of monitoring the addition of pollution in the environment. In the mean time, by utilizing an unbroken supply chain with quality and cost effectiveness, the supermarket suppliers develop new supply chains from farm lands to the supermarket with innovation and new strategic allies. The quality of the product should be maintained within the over all cost, no matter from where the products get imported. As far as the millage calculator is concerned, most of the time there are no other solutions to use means of transportation like buses, trains, and air planes to transport fresh products to the customers. The c ost does not rely upon the nearest available products in comparison to fresh products from far places. This essay comes to the conclusion that according to the corporate strategy the corporation should take care about the performance in terms of 'ethical' and 'cost' bases. The corporation should be very clear about their target customers with respect to their choice. If customers do not compromise on cost and compromise on quality then definitely it should not be your target.

American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

American History - Essay Example omacy, the text talks about the differences between the people of the North and those of the South, which we are told that can be traced back in the early settlements of the English in the North American region. The writers says that the societies that were found in the two colonies developed in a very different way that any visitor from Europe saw the difference and did not fail to give comments about it. The Southern region was nearly whole rural and also agricultural with very few towns. In addition, the region was under the political and social dominance of the great planters of tobacco possessed large tracts of land together with several slaves (p259). On the other hand, the people of the North were definitely farmers too, even though they practiced it in small scale. It was mainly done on subsistence basis by the family members or a few slaves or servants were used by those who were most successful or affluent. Contrary to the Southern region, the Northern region has three large cities called Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, as well as several other beautiful and lively towns that were large as compared to all those that were found in the Southern region, except for Charleston. Nevertheless, the cultural and social norms, from Pennsylvania north were characterized by businessmen that ranged from the merchant princes who were involved in the seaborne trade to artisans, struggling middlemen and retailers who purchased and sold goods produced from the farms together with some other goods that were produced within the cities or even overseas (p260). The Northerners were capitalists, whereby the basis of its economy was on the fact that everything was valued in terms of money, and its tradition became more and more based on wealth acquisition. The people of the south who were mainly farmers and considered themselves as aristocrat who had the duty to look after a society that had its basis on individual relationships regarded the people of the North as being

Office Art Memo Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Office Art Memo - Assignment Example The paper "Office Art Memo" focuses on the six pieces of art. Impressionists interplay of lights and shadows form an important premise of these paintings. Another characteristic is its unfinished smudged brushstrokes compared to following lines and contours in traditional painting. Included among the foremost of these painters are Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot and Andrew Sisely. The first painting I have chosen from the 19th century Impressionist Era is a replica of Camille Pissarro’s ‘The Garden of Pontoise’. It is oil on canvas. This painting I feel is very true to life, as all of Pissarro’s work was, and shows a young woman being entertained by a small child as she sits in the shade of her umbrella on a bench in a garden. Nothing could be a more simple expression of the glory of nature as a mother enjoying the antics of her child. The bond between mother and child, the pride and the glory of motherhood and nurturing is embodied in this work, but so elegantly set in the backdrop of this colorful garden that no one could help looking at it. The bright hues and colors of the early evening are evident here. The glory of the colorful garden in bloom takes one away from the business of life and helps one appreciate the value of leisure. No wonder Pissarro is regarded as among the founding fathers of Impressionism. The second piece of Impressionist painting I have selected is a replica of the Portrait of Charles and Georges Durand-Ruel., which the artist Pierre Auguste Renoir painted in 1882. In the portrait painting, both father and son are seated on a garden bench with greenery in the backdrop. The features of both are unmistakably alike, and the father is dressed more elegantly in an open three piece suit, with his left arm around his son. The son Georges is attired in a purple closed suit, and is also shown sporting a cigarette in his left hand. The father does not see m appalled at this circumstance and it shows his open-mindedness and confidence in his son. I am hoping here that the selection of this painting will signify

Street Gang Violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Street Gang Violence - Research Paper Example Policing force and governments across the world have come up with strategies to control street gangs but the process has become very complicated, Street gangs are always a step ahead of the government control agencies making it a challenge to control them. Street gangs have evolved to be very influential and powerful becoming a major threat to the society and the economy yet they are almost uncontrollable as they are always a step ahead of the relevant agencies and devising strategies that work will be important for the safety of people and economic growth. History of Street Gangs Unlike what most people think, street gangs started many centuries ago in Europe. There were gangs in the in 1600s in England that wore ribbons to identify themselves. In the 17th and 18th century, there were gangs in Germany that did criminal activities. The gangs at the time were made up of two to five members but there were some that had as many as ten or twelve members. These gangs were not really stree t gangs but they started the path to street gangs. After the Industrial revolution in England and Europe, many people in the society became rich. At the same time, there many people who were poor and lived in the slums, which became common at that time. People in the slums were looking for ways to take what the rich had. They formed groups which were mostly made up of young people between the age of 14 and 20 years. Each of the gang wanted to take control of a certain region within the city. Many gangs like the Redskins, Black hands and beehives were formed in the early 19th century. The gangs were spread across Manchester, London and Glasgow (Covey, 2010). At the same time, street gangs also started to be formed in the United States. The forty thieves’ street gang from New York was formed around 1820. This gang is one of the most popular street gangs in the United States. The gang was formed by Irish Immigrants who were trying to take control of New York City. These gangs we re involved in illicit activities like pick pocketing, stealing and violence. Some of the gangs in both Europe and United States were well organized and grew to feared gangs in their regions. At first, gangs were formed by people within a certain age group for example the youth in Europe. As time passed, street gangs evolved to be formed by immigrant minorities in other countries for example the United States. United States was a major hub for immigrants in the 19th century as it was growing and progressing very fast. Irish people were among the first immigrants in the United States. To survive, they formed gangs for example the infamous forty thieves in the New York City. Immigrants from other countries specifically Italy wanted to compete with the Irish Gangs in New York City. At the same time, there were other Irish Immigrants who wanted to form their own street gangs rather than join existing Irish gangs like the forty thieves. By the end of the 19th century, there were more tha n five common influential and powerful gangs in the United States. This country became the new hub for the Street gangs in the world. The gangs were mostly in New York and Chicago at that time. These two cities were the most common with immigrants (Andrews, 2013). United States continued to attract many immigrants from all over the world. Irish, Italian and Polish gangs were most common in the United Sta

Martin Luther King and Henry David Thoreau Essay

Martin Luther King and Henry David Thoreau - Essay Example Martin Luther considered conscience as an important aspect in distinguishing between just and unjust laws. Conscience enables a person to differentiate between laws that should be obeyed and laws that should be defied. Thoreau had similar views concerning conscience as the basis of determining just and unjust laws. Conscience is the notion of right and wrong according to the moral of a given society. The writer also argued that majority rule or democracy is not a basis of justice (Jacobus 12). According to Thoreau, majority rule is incomparable to human conscience in distinguishing between just and just laws. However, Thoreau considers that majority rule or democracy should be applied as a last resort. The majority rule should therefore be applied in places where other mechanisms such as human conscience cannot be applied. The positions taken by the two authors concerning just and unjust laws are similar. However, martin Luther bases his conscience on moral law or the notion of right and wrong according to the law of God. Although the two writers had different basis for differentiating between just and unjust laws, they had similar views on how a person should handle both the just and unjust laws. Just laws are beneficial both to the subject and the nation, obeying such laws is not only a legal duty but also a moral responsibility. Martin Luther considered laws that uplift human personality to be just laws while those that degrades human personality to be unjust laws. Thoreau also had similar views concerning just and unjust laws. According to the writer, just laws are beneficial to the people while unjust laws were of no benefit to the people. Unlike martin Luther, Thoreau’s arguments concerning human conscience, unjust and just laws were based on the insufficiency of democracy or the rule of the majority. Thoreau used the weakness in democratic

Cyber security Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cyber security - Coursework Example An example of how cultural values impact on the moral legitimacy can be drawn on the norms regarding theft in society. The golden rule concerning ethical behavior stresses on treating other as you would wish for them to treat you (Cavalier, 2005). Consequently, the cultural norm pertaining to theft is that, it is a vice and a morally illegitimate behavior. On the other hand, if one’s cultural values ascribe to the ethics that justifies an action is morally right so long as it results to personal interest, the moral legitimacy is granted (Spinello, 2004). The implication, resulting here is that theft is morally justified since it serves to benefit the thief. The linkage between the effect cultural values and cyber ethics is intricate and drawn from the moral legitimacy of one’s actions (Spinello, 2000). For, example in the case of content piracy, it is a form of theft yet based on the actor’s different points of view, issues pertaining to legitimacy arise. Foremos t, there is one individual who views content piracy as illegal and a violation of cyber ethics. His/her logic is drawn from the tenets of the Golden rule. However, on the flip side, there is one internet user who justifies his/her action based on the personal benefit derived from the action. His or her logic arguments include; why pay for expensive, when I can freely download it from the piracy sites? Besides, I am not harming anyone by my actions? Consequently, the different perspective regarding one’s cultural values and legitimacy of moral actions are the major challenges about the regulation of cyber ethics. Topic 2 Ethics refers to the prescribed set of laws that govern the precincts of right or wrong behavior or actions in society (Averweg, 2006). The contemporary society is rapidly developing into a global village due to increased access and growth of information technology. Furthermore, companies have integrated information technology in facilitating their day to day functions. Beneath the growing fascination with internet use, there lies the need for developing a code of ethics that guides the behavior and actions of employees in the use of information and communication technologies. There are several practices that can be integrated in the acceptable internet use policy of a company. Foremost, guidelines should specify that data must be strictly used for the satisfaction of the company’s business objectives. Furthermore, access to the internet can only be done via the company’s authorized firewall, router and content scanning software. Moreover, any employee accessing data should respect and comply with the legal protection accorded to it by the relevant licenses and copyrights. In addition guidelines regarding security of both data collected and user should be addressed. Consequently, security measures such as encryptions and firewall software are to be applied in the company’s computer server system (Criddle). In relatio n to the acceptable conduct policy, a specific guideline for inclusion pertains to disclosure of data use information. Consequently, all employees are obligated to disclose any information regarding the type of data they store and their plans for usage. Furthermore, company staff should only access and collect data in a manner that is not deemed as illegal or unfair. Another guideline pertains to the accuracy of data collection and retention policy. In light of this policy, all employees

Life Span Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Life Span - Research Paper Example He cherished the time they were able to spend together; because before he became ill, his father was too busy to spend much time with him. Mr. Asad said that he was definitely close to his mother, a stay-at-home mother who took care of household, the children and sometimes helped with her husband’s business. Mr. Asad admitted that still misses his mother very much. Mr. Asad was born and raised in Egypt. When he was a teenager, his father got sick and he was sent abroad to live with relatives. At first, he did not really know why his parents sent him to England but he realized they only want him to get a good education. So on he went to study high school and college there and then went on to become an English professor. Asked what he would like to do if he had the chance to be young again, he said he wanted to have enjoyed his youth. He was forced to grow up too fast because that he had to take care of the family business. He had to stand in for his father, because he was the o nly son. However, he has no regrets. He just missed his adolescence and laughingly admitted that he had not had enough opportunities to meet girls back then. Mr. Asad speaks 4 languages: Arabic, Spanish, French and English. That is why he was able to become an English teacher. He taught English to other Egyptians. He told me that he really loved teaching English and missed his work as a teacher. As a young adult, he worked as an archeologist at the British Broadcasting Company, Ltd. (BBC) and he produced a television show about Egypt but he did not mention the title or year. For Mr. Asad, it was the most memorable and enjoyable job he has ever had. At time that he met a special lady but her family did not approve of their relationship so he had to let go of their chance to be together. Even now, he says he does not understand why her family did not like him. It was difficult because she was so special to him. A few years later he met and married someone else. Soon he realized that h e had married the wrong woman. However, due to his religious beliefs, he did not divorce her. He worked very hard and supported his family and raised two children with her. In 1980 he lost his father. Four years later 1984 he lost his mother; thirteen years ago he lost his wife. Shortly after his wife passed away, his Parkinson’s disease became worse. He said he missed his parents, especially his mother. He did not talk much about his wife and he told me that before she passed away, he found out that she had saved money behind without his knowledge and had given all of it to her church instead of to their children. He seemed to still be upset about that. He talked much about his daughter but less about his son. He also talks about his grandchildren, especially his daughter’s daughter. When asked why he did not talk about his son, he said that his son reminded him so much of his wife, who had been so attached to money. He believes it is okay to save money but at the sam e time, his son needs to know how to enjoy spending money too. In contrast, he his daughter are very close, and every chance he gets, he sees her and her family because they always have fun together. Because of his Parkinson’s disease, he does not have much mobility so he has a live-in caregiver all who takes care of his everyday needs. They seem to get along well together, as they joke and laugh all the time. Although there have been advances in the study of Parkinson’

Hospital Quality Improvement Essay Example for Free

Hospital Quality Improvement Essay Kausch and as a member of the quality improvement council. Corporate influences to assist in the hospital efforts consisted of providing staffing for QIP. The mentor was provided by headquarters staff, and in the case of WFRMC was Dr. Batalden (p. 525). The corporate headquarters also rovided a means for WFRMC to work with one of the other HCA hospitals to focus and develop self-assessment tools for department heads (McLaughlin Kaluzny, The impact of the programs that would be instilled in WFRMC can be 2006). measured through departmental quality improvement assessments. The scoring matrix of the self-assessment focused on approach, deployment (implementation), and effects ((McLaughlin Kaluzny, 2006). The approach includes the eight dimensions: leadership constancy, employee mindedness, customer mindedness, process focused, statistical thinking, PDCA driven, innovativeness, and regulatory proactiveness (p. 30). The implementation assessment was focused around the depth of deployment; the awareness, knowledge, understanding, and application of the plan (McLaughlin Kaluzny, 2006). The effects were assessed on the overall quality of measureable results. For example, CQI team for charting showed favorable results form quality improvement plans in that patient report availability was improved, and there were fewer phone calls [with regards to errors] (p. 537). Implementation programs. The obstetric department utilized a consultant to evaluate quality. The result of this was that it became clear that there was a demand for a system in hich a family-centered birth experience could occur (p. 541). This development ofa new family-centered system was based on the need to center its services on the customer preferences rather then a forced routine (McLaughlin Kaluzny, 2006). In order to implement a new system Ms. Cynthia Ayres, an administrative director, was assigned to implement this new concept. The result was that Ms. Ayres decided to use the CQI process to develop a new charge process and to evaluate the cost and resource consumption of the service (p. 541). In the evaluation all processes of a delivery were under analysis. Another tactical program that was supported with TQM was that of pharmacy. This was conducted as a result of the concern of the rapidly rising costs of inpatient drugs, especially antibiotics, which were costing the hospital about $1. 3 million per year (p. 543). A CQI team was formed and evaluated the process of how physicians selected antibiotics for treatment (McLaughlin Kaluzny, 2006). The end result of the CQI process was the recommendation that antibiotics be listed in order of increasing cost per average daily dose (McLaughlin Kaluzny, 2006)

The Rise Of A Mercantilist Economic System History Essay

The Rise Of A Mercantilist Economic System History Essay The rise of a mercantilist economic system in Europe forged a unified relationship between government and its people by superseding feudalism and developing a merchant class that bridged the gap between the peasant and ruling classes. Britain, France and Spain, in particular, reaped the rewards of mercantilism by forming a powerful array of nation states. Although mercantilism stands in stark contrast with the principles of a free-market economy, it was nonetheless the driving force behind European imperialism from the 15th through the 18th centuries. The emergence of a merchant class developed a link between power and wealth. Mercantilism in Europe helped to centralize power, replacing the feudal arrangement of yesteryear. As critics like Adam Smith would point out, mercantilism was not without its drawbacks. The only two countries that corralled enough wealth to be considered hegemonic, the United States and Britain, did so in the nineteenth century, well after the fall of mercanti lism. Smith opined that economies should be self-regulating, and that mercantilism, through its rigid governmental constraints, prevented economies from truly flourishing. Despite an abundance of critics, the mercantilist economic system undoubtedly had a tremendous impact on Europe and the rest of the globe. Mercantilism was the foundation from which capitalism was born. European mercantilism first emerged in the latter part of the Renaissance in about 1595 and didnt fade away until the late 1800s. Queen Elizabeth I, desperate to quell the powerful Spanish Empire, ordered her Admiralty to reform foreign trade. Her reforms proved highly effective as England would go on to become the most powerful imperial empire in world history. England exploited the mercantilist economic system of importing precious metals and raw materials in exchange for manufactured goods. The French would later mimic Englands economic system. Mercantilist countries used the rule of law to attain a positive balance of trade through their colonies. Stiff tariffs were imposed on imports and colonies were restrained in their ability to manufacture goods. Instead they were forced to purchase products from their mother countries. For example, gold and silver were extracted from the colonies and shipped to European merchants, greatly enriching Europe. The power of the state depended on the amount of gold and silver in its coffers, because this international currency made it possible to build ships and pay for armies. (A Concise History of Economic Thought,Vaggi Groenwerth, 2003). Beginning in the 16th century, control over land, and trade routes became the most important part of collecting wealth for the most powerful countries. The growth of the mercantile system of Europe was largely spurred by the general discontent people had with the Roman Catholic Church. Mercantilism was, to a large extent, spawned by the Reformation. The lifestyle regulations imposed on Catholics allowed for very little self-actualization; a source of great embitterment for the masses who were fed up with the feudal system. Mercantilism brought upon the rise of the merchant class, a transfer of wealth that brought with it a sense of hope for much of Europe. The spread of alternatives to hard-line Catholicism like the Anglican Church coincided with the growth of mercantilism. In the 1600s England began to notice the Spanish becoming a rising power, due in large part to their influence in colonial America. England knew that whoever maintained the strongest blend of colonial influence and military strength would control the all- important trade routes and foreign territories. England, in an effort to squelch rising countries, began to strengthen their control over colonies, demanding that all trade go through them. The growing sense of competition between world-powers fueled the spread of mercantilism. The major players in this face-off were England, France, Holland and Spain. England reigned supreme as the victorious imperial power thanks to dominant military wins over Portugal and Spain in the sixteenth century, then Holland in the seventeenth and France in the eighteenth century. One of the major objectives of mercantilist countries was to create a bond between the powerful aristocracies and the rising merchant classes. The purpose of this alliance was to damage the economies of competing nations. Mercantilist theory suggested that government should enact a wealth-collecting agenda by protecting against foreign imports. Prior to the rise of mercantilism, the military was only formed during specific times of conflict. During the era of mercantilism, however, armies and navies became full-time enterprises as conflict had become a way of life. Gold and silver were the means by which goods and services could be obtained, and funding a strong military was an essential part of the equation. The merchants were willing to finance their governments in exchange for protection against foreign competition. Large central government and mercantilism go hand-in hand: the merchants needed the government and vice-versa. Mercantilist theorists believe that the net total of global wealth was already established, and that countries vied for a greater stake in the pie by exchanging manufactured goods for precious metals. The concept of, buy low, sell high was paramount towards collecting national wealth. The acquisition of non-coined gold and silver, or bullion, was considered the benchmark for economic growth. The growing wealth of European countries, namely England, France and Spain, had a trickle-down effect on their economies. Merchants would become wealthier through mercantilism, and, to a lesser extent, the lives of the labor forces improved thanks to better job security. The transfer of bullion funneled from the colonies of the Americas proved to be a major boon for European mercantilism. Mercantilist writers believed all trade to be a zero sum game, for every transaction there is a winner and a loser, mercantilists sought to handicap the game in order to promote economic success nation-wide. Mercantilism was a Machiavellian, Puritanically dark world view that promoted a general feeling of intense nationalism and ill-will toward competing countries and the colonies they governed. Governments would go as far as to damage entire monetary systems and limit civilian wages in order to reduce imports, and hurt other countries economies. When mercantilist countries did import goods, it was preferred that they deal in raw materials that could be processed and sent abroad in order to acquire more capital. Importing low cost, raw materials to be completed and converted into higher cost, manufactured goods and bartered for precious metals was a lucrative proces s for merchants. Extractive industries, like agriculture, gave way to manufacturing or processing material businesses. Precious metals had the strongest purchasing power for commanding goods and services. During the sixteenth century, the flows of precious metals from the American Colonies of Spain produced high inflation in Europe, but for the mercantilists gold and silver were the substance and the definition of both private and national wealth.(Vaggi Groenwegen, A Concise History of Economic Thought, 2003) As competition in the New World intensified, England began to tighten the screws on her colonies. Mercantilists were acutely aware of the linkage between politics and economics; they believed that power and wealth were closely related, and that both were legitimate goals of national policy. (Theodore Cohn, Global Political Economy, 2005) Although many countries became rich because of the wealth transferred from the New World, not every country capitalized as much as it could h ave. Between 1647 and 1715, the French attempted to mimic the British, but thanks to extreme inefficiency, they fell short. Jean Babtiste Colbert was one of the most well- known proponents of mercantilism. Colbert served as finance minister of France, under King Louis XIV in the seventeenth century. The French used the British mercantilist economic system of as a model for their political economy. Colbert inherited a perilous French economy on the brink of bankruptcy and enabled King Louis to embark on a series of aggressive military campaigns. The term colbertisme was coined by Colbert to describe the method of protecting infant industries. During his 18 years as minister of finance, Colbert issued a total of 150 edicts designed to regulate the guild industry. Colberts successful use of mercantilism was essential in financing the reign of Louis XIV. The Sun Kings reign featured a powerful military force, but the French economy, particularly its agriculture, was over-taxed and stagnant. Thomas Mun was one of the leading mercantilist authors during this time. His most influential works were a pair of pamphlets A Discourse of Trade and, later, Englands Treasure by Foreign Trade. Mun was the director of the East India Company, a monopolistic British charter founded in 1600 that supplied a wide array of goods, ranging from cotton to opium. According to Mun, monetary movements and the exchange rate depend on the condition of the trade balance: the inflows of precious metals reflect the existence of a positive balance of trade and vice versa. (Vaggi Groenwegen, A Concise History of Economic Thought, 2003) Government-imposed monopolies were inherently corrupted; the use of black market dealings were an inevitable byproduct of price ceilings and quotas. As noted above, colonial powers competed vehemently for control over the North American territories they ruled over. Englands greed would cause tensions to boil over, eventually spurring the American Revolution. The initial Navigation Act of 1651, a bill enacted by the Oliver Cromwell-led Parliament, was designed to gain control over foreign exchanges between the English colonies and other countries. Under the bill, all trade flowing in and out of England or her colonies had to be shipped using British ships. The Dutch, who had been thriving thanks to their free-trade market, were crushed and sent to economic ruin thanks to Cromwells protectionist policies. Not only did the Navigations Acts seize control of transnational commerce, it also disabled competing countries from profiting from freight and shipping services. The mercantilists discovered that it was the whole current account balance that mattered, not just the exchange of commodities. (Vaggi Groenwegen, A Concise History of Economic Thought, 2003) British colonial mercantilism was oppressive by nature; American colonies were banned from the global economy and were treated as little more than pawns. The prosperity of mercantilist economies was contingent on the aid of a strong centralized government that regulated foreign and domestic trade. Mercantilist economies became immensely wealthy by coercing a positive trade surplus. It was thought that a country could be strengthened by regulating commercialism by discouraging imports, and maintaining a positive flow of exports. Governments began placing tariffs, quotas and even prohibitions on imports in order to protect domestic business. New businesses would be encouraged with generous tax breaks. As for the trade part of the balance of payments, the government must favour the sale of raw materials abroad because they will be purchased with precious metals, hence adding to the stock of national wealth (Vaggi Groenwegen, A Concise History of Economic Thought, 2003) Improved tools and technologically advanced products were not allowed to be exported to foreign markets in order to maintain superiority over competing states. The same was true of talented workers, who were prohibited from emigrating to other countries, just as foreign diplomats hypocritically recruited other businessmen to come to their home countries. One of the sharpest critics of European mercantilism was economist Charles Davenant, who believed England would become more prosperous if government discontinued their policy of intervening in foreign trade. In 1690, Davenant published An Essay on the East-India Trade, which outlined his belied that a liberal foreign trade policy would increase Englands exports thanks to a larger market. According to Davenant, this increase in the stock of money leads to lower interest rates and to higher prices of land. The increase in the value of landed estates brings about a rise of rent and of tax revenue. As a result of a freer trade every section of the population is better off, but the starting point of the whole story is still the successful export trade of England. (Vaggi Groenwegen, A Concise History of Economic Thought, 2003) Davenants theories, revolutionary for the time, caused vast condemnation in Europe, who believed the risks of an expanded market outweighed the rewards. Ultimately, no alternate system capable of challenging the nationalistic balance of trade theories of mercantilism emerged, and mercantilism continued. Mercantilism began to fade in the 18th century, ending not with a bang, but with a whimper. Adam Smith, a Scottish Oxford graduate, was a revolutionary economist in the mid to late 1700s who was responsible for coining the term mercantilism. One of Smiths major points of contention with mercantilism, as was outlined in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, was his distaste for heavy-handed governmental control of the economy. Smith, who despised mercantilism invented the metaphor, invisible hand which stood for a natural, self-regulation that functioned because of the essential tenets of a free-market economy: self-interest, competition, economic characteristics he believed were possible without governmental intervention. In 1776, Smith wrote in Wealth of Nations: It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages. His writings were the basis of laissez-faire capitalism, in which industry is free from the shackles of government. Smith believed in the natural order of the economy, whereby, rather than have the government fix prices and regulate trade, the economy should be a self-sufficient machine that dictates the price of commodities. When the price of any commodity is neither more nor less than what is sufficient to pay the rent of the land, the wages of the labour, and the profits of the stock employed in raising, preparing, and bringing it to market, according to their natural rate, the commodity is then sold for what may be called its natural price. (Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations, 1776) The brilliance of Smith was not in his ability to produce revolutionary economic theories of his own; his greatness was embodied in his ability to assemble existing concepts into a system. The fundamental problem with mercantilism is its refusal to account for the value of all economic activity. Maintaining a positive balance of trade is not the only indicator of economic health. To the contrary, as has been proven in the United States meteoric growth despite a negative balance of trade since the 1970s, a positive balance of trade means very little, and often leads to inflation. Mercantilism, though largely debased today, played an essential role in the rise of the middle class. Without the spread of mercantilism in Europe, its impossible to project how the world might look today. Its possible that, without mercantilism, we would still be living in a feudal, caste-like system comprised of only governmental elitists and a the peasant class, with very little in between. Mercantilism gave rise to the middle class, the largest group in the West. Open Side Bet Tracking Kevin Fox- NFL: Week 13 Game ($20, W),Vikings+3.5 over Sains W $15 Colts-7 over Ravens ($10, W) Paid? NBA: Blazers+4.5 over Magic ($10, W) Paid? MISC: James+Stephen 3-Point Shootout, over Elliot+Kevin ($5, W) Paid? Total: (+ $60) Paid? Joey Leoni- NFL: Men of Menlo Fantasy Football Money ($100, W) Paid? Total: (+100) Paid? Dominic Diricco NFL: Men of Menlo Fantasy Football Money ($50, W) Paid? Total: (+$50) Paid? Kevin Meehan- NFL: The Sunday Special Fantasy Football Money ($100, L) Total: (-100) Paid? Isaac Baron- MISC: (In Progress) Most Makes of 53s, Isaac must Win at least 8/10, I=3Wins, J=1 Win ($100, T) Total: ($100 Pending) Paid? SID: 112 15 810