Business Strategy of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

Business Strategy of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) TATA group of companies: Tata Group of companies is the largest private corporate group in India and has been recognized as one of the most respected companies in the world which was founded by Jamsedji R Tata in 1991. The company has operations in more than 85 countries across six continents and its companies export products and services to 80 nations and the Tata Group comprises (114) companies and subsidiaries in seven business sectors (Tata Sons Ltd., 2010). SBUs of TATA group 🙠 For details please refer to appendix no.1) SBUs which form a major part of the Tata group include: Tata steel Tata motors Ltd. Tata consultancy services Tata Technologies Tata tea Tata power Tata Communications Tata Teleservices Tata hotels 1.1 Company profile: Tata consultancy services (TCS) SBU of Tata group: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ftrqMPzMyAWhIM::t=1usg=__pSSLT1wgbnRMMkApfc8zl-8DYsg= Source: http://biet.beadvg.org/images/logos/tcs_logo_cmyk.jpg Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is one of the SBU of Tata group of companies. It is a Software services consulting company which is a subsidiary Tata group .It is the largest provider of information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing services in Asia. It has offices in 42 countries with more than 142 branches across the globe. The company is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE) of India.TCS mainly offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT and IT-enabled services delivered through its unique strategic Global Network Delivery Model which is recognized as the benchmark of excellence in the IT industry (LinkedIn Corporation, 2010) .TCS is currently investing in new technologies, new processes people in order to achieve an competitive edge (Amdocs Ltd., 2010).(For details please refer to appendix no.2) TCS helps some of the worlds largest companies to adopt the right technology-enabled solution that helps them in following manner (Tata Sons Ltd., 2010). Optimize business performance Facilitate alignment of business with technology Connect their extended supply chains Reduce product development time Improve product differentiation Provide real-time business insight Lower operational costs TCS business structure: Following diagram illustrates operating structure of TCS: Fig 1.TCS operating structure Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/glossaries/organizational-structure/4943569-1.html 2 Business Level Strategies: TCS has developed its business level strategy by assuming as world financial institutions are in a tremendous shock of crisis and think of scaling up revenue from other industries. (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). TCS names its business divisions as Industry Service Practice which will help them to collect maximum revenue from Banking Financial Services and Insurance Sectors. (Please refer to appendix no. 3) Generic Business Strategies of TCS: TCS provides low cost Global delivery with the help global strategy. TCS mainly focus on customer relationship management customer retention in order increase the business revenue. TCS provides timely delivery of IT services with the help of proven delivery quality framework called as (iQMS) TCS uses differentiation strategy by providing low end services in terms of cost, resources. TCS also diffenciate its high end services such as consulting in term of niche offerings. TCS has strong knowledge management system resource Strength by which they has successful in reaching the overall cost leadership in the (IT) industry. TCS has develop a resolute strategy where they are providing (IT) services according to the requirements of customer and the nature of business. targeting new markets like Middle East, Europe, and Asia-pacific. Currently TCS Focus on Centres of Excellence (CoE) to hold ability so as to construct technologies such as service-oriented architecture, testing, and virtualization which will help TCS to attempt outsized projects so as to alter customers (IT) applications. Business level strategy model: Following diagram illustrates various business level strategies of TCS which are closely related to the company. Fig 2. Business level strategy model-TCS Source: Author Business level Strategies are listed below: Global Strategies Strategic Alliance strategy Acquisition strategy TCS: Co innovation network (coin) strategy (1) Global strategy: TCS global strategy structure tend towards its global operations to implement a Customer centric and integrated approach which will help them to control external factors arising from the Economic Meltdown in western countries. TCSs global operation units is divided into five main divisions includes the established markets like North America K Western Europe as well as the new markets includes mainly Latin America, Middle east, India and Eastern Europe. TCS was the first one to set the global delivery centre in China which distinguished TCS from other corporate companies (Mitra, 2005). This global strategy of TCS will Increase Companys market growth rate at the rate of 40% every year. TCS is establishing global delivery centres outside India which demonstrate TCS as a Global company. In recent years TCS was frequently changing its approach towards global market. (For details please refer to appendix no .3) Global strategy map: Following map illustrated the countries where TCS collaborate its global strategy Mainly includes US, Mexico, China, India, Hungary, UK, West-Europe etc. http://htmlimg3.scribdassets.com/entwg1s84irfuww/images/15-8f526c1a8f/000.jpg Fig.3 Global Strategy map Source: http://www.cogmap.com/chart/tata- consultancy-services 2 Strategic Alliances strategy: Tata consultancy services have been holding a strategic relationship with various International technology (IT) vendors such as Intel, Hewlett-Packard (HP), IBM this distinguished as service provider, customer, supplier, and alliance partner. (Mitra, 2005). The relationships with the international technology vendors have made TCS to maintain a holistic approach to create a joint venture opportunities with these international vendors on joint research by which each others strengths will provide a strategic advantage by following ways(For details please refer to appendix no.4) It creates joint engagements with (IT) vendors. It provide new or improved solutions on problems It helps to adopt a Joint go-to-market strategy for the specific (IT) solutions. 3. Acquisition strategy: TCS divides its acquisition strategy into two components. Organic means and inorganic means (Mitra, 2005). The Inorganic way of acquisitions of companies this has business sense to TCS as part of its strategy to look at expansion options has set up an internal team which will focus only on acquisition strategies.(For details please refer to appendix no.5) 4. Co- innovation network (coin) strategies: TCS have implemented a Co-innovation strategy in order to face the competition in todays globalization world. Where competition among the IT companies is increasing day by day. TCS has developed implement an innovative technology which will result in collaborating a Globally Distributed Network (GDN) (Mitra, 2005). (Please refer to appendix no.6) Bowmans strategic clock: Business level strategy of TCS can also be explained with the help of Bowmanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s Strategic clock (work of Cliff Bowman) (For details please refer to appendix no.7) Fig 4. Bowmans strategic clock Source: Adopted from (Faulkner Bowman, 1995) Based on the competition faced by TCS they are using two parallel strategies so as to sustain in the (IT) sector. Differentiation:-TCS use differentiation strategy by offering its low high end services such as consulting in term of niche offerings terms of cost resources. Expertise that is different from those of the competitors in (IT) industry which are valued by the customers. Low price:-TCS has achieved cost (price) leadership in the (IT) industry with the help of its strong knowledge management system as compare to competitors. According to Bowmans strategic clock differentiation Low price strategy comes under hybrid strategy. So, it is evident that TCS use these strategies in order to keep up with the emerging (IT) trends and working out towards its goal of being the most chosen brand in the (IT) industry. TCS Business level Strategies can also be identified and explained with the help of Ansoff matrix which divides the strategy of a company into four different categories namely, (i) Market Penetration Strategy (ii) Market Development Strategy (iii) Product Development Strategy (iv) Diversification Strategy TCSs growth and development strategies based on Ansoffs matrix Ansoffix growth matrix 🙠 For details please refer to appendix no.8) TCSS Business level Strategies can also be identified and explained with the help of Assnsoff matrix as follows: Existing Products New Products (Market Penetration) Existing Markets: USA and Europe Existing Products: ADM, BPO, KPO, consultancy services software products. (Product Development) Existing Market: USA and Europe New Product: Consultancy and package implementation services in relatively growing sectors life sciences healthcare, aviation sector, and KPO services (Market Development) New markets: India, Middle-east and Australia Existing Products: ADM, BPO, KPO, consultancy services Software products (financial products). (Diversification) New products: vertical- Specific services packages, TCS Financial Solutions, and Platform-based BPO New markets: Latin America, Eastern Europe, Middle East Africa and India), Existing Market New Market Fig 4. Ansoffix growth matrix of TCS Source: Author (i) Market penetration strategy: As per the growth matrix TCS is currently penetrates its range of services into USA and Europe where they provide ADM, BPO, KPO, consultancy services (in BFSI, manufacturing and retail firms) as well as they provide software products (financial products) to the firms as most large clients in US and Europe are concentrating on cutting costs of (IT) related services (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). TCS needs to be more aggressive on cost cutting strategy with good quality. (ii) Market development strategy: As per the growth matrix TCS is concentrating on new markets like India, Middle-east and Australia where they provide products like ADM, BPO, KPO consultancy services (in BFSI, manufacturing and retail) and software products (financial products) (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010).Since these are the most fast developing IT market where TCS needs to keep a paradigm as a shift in focus from US EU markets to these new markets. (iii) Product Development Strategy: As per the growth matrix TCS is selling its new products such as Consultancy and package implementation services in relatively growing sectors especially in life sciences healthcare, aviation sector, and KPO services into existing markets like USA and Europe (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). This strategy will definitely help on building expertise in these domains by strategic acquisitions. (iv) Diversification strategy: As per the growth matrix TCS has diversified their new products like vertical- Specific services packages, TCS Financial Solutions, and Platform-based BPO into new markets like Europe and other emerging markets where the market growth of the company has increased by 40 % (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010).TCS diversified its function to new markets like Latin America and Middle East for considerable expansion. In order to penetrate a new market TCS has established delivery and offshore centres in countries like Brazil, Uruguay and Mexico. 3 Strengths weaknesses based on business Level Strategies: Following table illustrates (TCS) strengths and weaknesses: Strengths Weaknesses Extensive Universal reach Strong economic performance Strong brand name and awareness Unique service Offerings Employee Management Skills (HR Skills) Innovation lab system Fame of founder Momentous publicity to financial markets Lack of focus on the domestic markets. Deficient in level of consulting Operations Source: Author 3.1 Strengths: (1) Extensive Universal reach: TCS has widespread a global reach by its product and services throughout its branches all over the world includes in UK, U.S, Middle east, Australia, Europe etc. (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). This provides a diverse revenue base for the company to have an active control on its business operations universally. (2) Strong economic performance: TCS has made apparent and strong economic presentations around the globe which makes its clients to be financially confident about the company and hence it will increase companys reputation. (3) Strong brand name and awareness: As the popularity of the brand TCS (Tata consultancy services) has been reach all over the world which made TCS a reputed brand image in the Global information technology (IT) and software industries. (4) Unique service Offerings: TCS provides a unique range of services including business consulting; information technology, business process outsourcing (BPO), infrastructure, and engineering which distinguished them from competitors belong to IT industry (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). (5) Employee Management Skills (HR Management Skills): The domestic base of TCS i.e. India is well -known for its skilled employees in IT field which naturally made TCS a very strong in HR management .TCS is also recruited its board of Directors are from overseas countries in order to adopt the strategies from all the parts of the world. (6) Innovation in lab system: TCS have most effective infrastructures and innovative labs all over the world with most modern technologies which help its employees to have an access to update the most up-to-date information to make research in various IT related fields (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). This provides TCS an competitive edge. (7) Fame of founder: Tata is recognised as the most renowned brand in Asia as well as the fame of the founder Mr.Ratan J Tata also added value to TCS (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). 3.2 Weaknesses: (1) Momentous publicity to financial markets: The Excess exposure on the financial service markets at a global level (Datamonitor, 1998). Which generally necessitate to be keep confidential as they it displays companys private policies and legal terms which is considered as the primary key weakness of Tata consultancy services (TCS) (2) Lack of focus on the domestic markets: As per the strength of TCS it has an Extensive Universal reach by its product and services throughout it are all over the world branch which provides a diverse revenue base for the company. (Datamonitor, 1998). But at the same time domestic markets are also affected due to lack of focus by the company. This is the key weakness of Tata consultancy services (TCS). (3) Deficient in level of consulting operations: Lack in Effective consulting team which show a strong reflection of decline in the growth Cycle of the TCS, Being a company which mainly works on Outsourcing on scale large projects and assignment which generally needs a very good effective consulting team which acts as the link between the Clients and company (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010).TCS company is lacking behind in its level of consulting operations. Report to the Board of Directors To, The Board of Directors, Tata consultancy services Ltd. Subject: Recommendations for the (TCS) business unit. Respected Board members, In the report which is attached along with a critical research and analysis has been done on the corporate strategy followed by your company. The research and analysis has been conducted by using various corporate strategy tools and methods and the companys past and current strategies have been highlighted. On the basis of the strengths and the weaknesses of these strategies we have stated so; following are the recommendations which I was able to generate after studying the strategies adopted by the TCS: TCS should create specific value propositions aimed directly at the relevant stakeholders which include business executives, IT personnel in order to improve your market positioning in domestic markets. The excess exposure on the financial service markets which usually need to be kept confidential is considered as the main weakness of TCS so they can should focus more on increasing their IP (Intellectual Property) assets in order to lower the momentous publicity to financial markets (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). TCS can also go for isolation strategies with premium services like IT solutions and focus on a niche market. In market Meltdowns (recession) marketing can work as a differentiator. TCS can alter its focus from Low cost advantage to high quality services considering quality being pioneer in the (IT) industry. TCS can offer diverse services to refrain from being over-dependent and increasing exposure to the vulnerabilities of few sectors like USA. TCS can adopt ADM (Application Development and maintenance) system to increase value added services, BPO to Consulting and Package Implementation (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010). Consolidation and strategic acquisitions are essential for future growth of revenues. The HP-EDS merger (one of the biggest ever merger in this industry) is evidence to this. TCS should prepare for such opportunities which are strategic fit for the company. TCS has rightly placed SMB (Small and Medium Businesses) as a separate strategic unit, which should be focused aggressively. They should also focus consulting practice on the same business unit (Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 2010).

Affirmative Action Essay: Quotas for White Players in the NBA? :: Persuasive Essay, Argumentative

Is Affirmative Action Analogous to Setting Quotas for White Players in the NBA? The NBA analogy doesn't even apply because that is not how affirmative action even works. All affirmative action recipients must be qualified for their jobs. Besides, the fact that blacks overcome their social disadvantages to dominate in the NBA is no justification for keeping them disadvantaged. The argument that it's wrong to give whites an even greater advantage to make up for their lack of merit is irrelevant. If blacks got an equal start in life, they might even dominate the NBA more than they do now. The fact that they don't is a further injustice to their merit. This is a prize piece of rhetoric among anti-affirmative critics. Teams in the National Basketball Association select their players based on merit. For some reason, blacks have come to represent the vast majority of players in the NBA, even though they form only 12 percent of the U.S. population. If we were to impose racial quotas on the NBA to make the teams resemble a cross-section of society, we would be throwing more talented black players off the teams and replacing them with less talented white players. Obviously, that would be an injustice. However, this example is a parody of affirmative action, and is so wrong as to be irrelevant. If affirmative action were truly applied to the NBA, then a study would be done to determine the percentage of qualified players from each race. Although 75 percent of the male population is white, and 12 percent black, the study would probably find that 90 percent of the qualified players are black, and only 10 percent white. It would then set an affirmative action goal of 90 percent black and 10 percent white players, and ask the team-owners to conduct a good-faith effort to meet these goals. Penalties would be incurred only if a racist team insisted on 100 percent black players, and a blatant case of discrimination could be proven. We could quit here, but it is also worthwhile to address the point that critics of affirmative action thought they were making with this example. And that is that it's wrong to deny top jobs to the most qualified in the name of racial fairness. However, the NBA example fails to make even this point. To see why, imagine that you have been asked to preside as a judge at a track-and-field event.

Friendship

Imagine, for a moment, that you are a new child, in an unfamiliar place, full of invisible faces that stare at you as you walk past them. Your face buried in a map so that you can find your way through your new environment and you continuously bump into strangers who do not offer a supporting hand to guide you on your way. You are lost, and you do not know what to do. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hand comes right in front of your path, grasping yours, and leading the way to safety and happiness.It is your first friend. Friendship is the greatest gift you can give someone to ensure mental, emotional, and social aspects for not only your own, but someone else’s life in the process. Everyone needs one good, true friend to stay mentally healthy. Having been proven by scientific experiments studied by Harvard Medical students, if a true friend is available to you, you can relinquish your thoughts and emotions to in order to relieve stress from your brain.Scientists agree that stress releases chemicals changes throughout your brain, and that these changes could influence your health. With a friend there for you, you are able to prevent stress from depleting your energy to even decreasing the stress that can build up cancer cells. Knowing such a thing, can you not see that your friend is saving your life over and over again? How nice is that? Friends are essential to your life.Everyone needs one good, true friend to stay emotionally healthy. Especially for children, having a friend along for the long run is not only nutritious to your emotional state, but as well as for your physical state as well. Common knowledge shows that without the required love or mutual feeling of friendship towards a human being cause’s complications when it comes to probing further in intellectual discoveries or inhibits one from gaining any social connections.Having a friend, or even better, multiple friends, can improve your emotional state in vast like ways, such as increasin g social interactions after gaining self-confidence in the process. Without friends, you’re mental status is also affected due to stress levels that build up after being solitary for long periods of time, or perhaps from rejection, that it can lead to depression or even suicide. Knowing such a thing, can you not see that your friend is saving your life over and over again? Friends are essential to your life.In a personal view, being in the world without friends can be a very scary place. Friends can get you places, help you meet new faces, and make your life brighter than the sun. Friends are there for you when your life is down, if you have had a bad break-up, or if you have lost someone you love. They comfort you when you think you have got nothing else. A friend can be as close as a sibling, or as distant as your worst enemy, but in the end, you are not alone, and that makes all the difference when it comes to your mental, and emotional, state.Many of people believe that n ot everyone is socially inclined by birth or that said person is anti-social by their own means. However, a human being can not possible are, as proven in the statistics above, against human relation and contact without having prior past issues, such as child abuse, or depression. Friends will always be essential to you. In conclusion, Friendship is the greatest gift you can give someone to ensure mental, emotional, and social aspects for not only your own, but someone else’s life in the process.Friends relieve common stresses from a person that can leave them much healthier, mentally, and they can become a target for affections, or for any other positive emotion, leaving you socially enabled to lead your life. Socially connected to friends can lead to more friends, opening more opportunities that go up to business partners, to working together on a school paper. Friends can save your life repeatedly over and over again, isn’t that nice? You need friends, becauseâ€⠀ Friends are essential to your life. Friendship Friendship is the divine feeling or relationship between friends. Friendships developed ultimately and required to be maintained with care. Men can’t live without friend and real friendship could be a great support for one’s life. Friendship is simply a divine relationship based on feelings and understanding. It’s not ordinary social or official affair between people but a divine feelings and care based on mutual trust, affection and support. A true friendship is developed ultimately; sometimes relationship could be established for earthly benefits but that is not really considered friendship.A real friendship does not aim any worldly interests rather spiritual and based on share and care between friends. A relationship required to be reciprocal to turn into friendship. That is friendship between two people or among several people, only develops when they all loves, understands and trust one another equally. Successful friendship only established provided taste, feeling and sentiments of friends are same or common. A friendly relationship between people with strictly different outlook and view is almost impossible.A friendship turns stronger with care and maintenance. In the same way disrespect towards it fade and destroy it away. Friends must be sincere and loyal towards one another. One should not show vanity and power over his/her friends. Friends must bare a sense of equity in mind. Friendship with disparity doesn’t last very long. Real friend be always with his/her friend in well and in owes. In order to maintain friendship, it must be valued and handled delicately because treatment towards friendship determines a friend is real friend or fair weathered.All people seems friendly are not friend. Many pretend to be friend and terminate friendship as soon as their interests are fulfilled. We may have thousands of fair-weathered friends in prosperity but real friends are those who stand by us in our trouble. It’s very painful when friends proved traitor so in choice of friends we must be cautious. A good friend supports us always and led us in the right way. A good friend encourages us for positive and forbid us form wrong deeds. A real good friend is an invaluable treasure. Benefits and necessity of friendship is innumerable.Human being needs companion to live. And friends are one of the best companion because supports us, care us and bless us an opportunity to share our thoughts freely. As friendship doesn’t aim any worldly things, serious dispute between friends are rare or mostly trifle. In a word, friendship is blessed with countless gifts. Friendship is undoubtedly a heavenly thing. Life is colourless and slow without a friend. Though real friends are not easy to find, a real friendship with a good person is a precious gift that could be great supports for lifetime.. Friendship Friendship is the divine feeling or relationship between friends. Friendships developed ultimately and required to be maintained with care. Men can’t live without friend and real friendship could be a great support for one’s life. Friendship is simply a divine relationship based on feelings and understanding. It’s not ordinary social or official affair between people but a divine feelings and care based on mutual trust, affection and support. A true friendship is developed ultimately; sometimes relationship could be established for earthly benefits but that is not really considered friendship.A real friendship does not aim any worldly interests rather spiritual and based on share and care between friends. A relationship required to be reciprocal to turn into friendship. That is friendship between two people or among several people, only develops when they all loves, understands and trust one another equally. Successful friendship only established provided taste, feeling and sentiments of friends are same or common. A friendly relationship between people with strictly different outlook and view is almost impossible.A friendship turns stronger with care and maintenance. In the same way disrespect towards it fade and destroy it away. Friends must be sincere and loyal towards one another. One should not show vanity and power over his/her friends. Friends must bare a sense of equity in mind. Friendship with disparity doesn’t last very long. Real friend be always with his/her friend in well and in owes. In order to maintain friendship, it must be valued and handled delicately because treatment towards friendship determines a friend is real friend or fair weathered.All people seems friendly are not friend. Many pretend to be friend and terminate friendship as soon as their interests are fulfilled. We may have thousands of fair-weathered friends in prosperity but real friends are those who stand by us in our trouble. It’s very painful when friends proved traitor so in choice of friends we must be cautious. A good friend supports us always and led us in the right way. A good friend encourages us for positive and forbid us form wrong deeds. A real good friend is an invaluable treasure. Benefits and necessity of friendship is innumerable.Human being needs companion to live. And friends are one of the best companion because supports us, care us and bless us an opportunity to share our thoughts freely. As friendship doesn’t aim any worldly things, serious dispute between friends are rare or mostly trifle. In a word, friendship is blessed with countless gifts. Friendship is undoubtedly a heavenly thing. Life is colourless and slow without a friend. Though real friends are not easy to find, a real friendship with a good person is a precious gift that could be great supports for lifetime..

Juvenile Delinquency essays

Juvenile Delinquency essays I felt this was a good place to start, considering I feel that most criminal activity starts at a young age. There are very few criminals who have picked up the trade in their adult life. Just as manners and norms are developed at an early age, delinquency and defiant behavior is also. There are certain factors that wage deviance that I think are important to explain. Heredity is an important factor, a lot of characteristics come from this. How one may react to certain situations is not genetic, but can be developed early in life by home situations. The way one is treated and disciplined as a young child directly affects how he or she will perceive and treat those around them in life. The environment a child grows up in plays a key role in determining the childs view on life, which may have a direct effect on his or her proneness to delinquency. There are certain characteristics that I feel we inherit and certain characteristics that we develop at a young age. Some genes may cause a child to have a short temper or a limited attention span. Other genes may make it difficult for the child to learn in school. He or she may turn to other means and other children to feel part of the group. Often these other children are more defiant. Without proper discipline a lot of these characteristics can become repeated and condoned behavior. By generalizing traits we can distinguish inherited traits from learned behavior. I believe that when children are young they learn the norms of society from their parents, but they learn social roles from their peers. They learn how to be accepted and what behavior will get them the appropriate response. First and foremost certain things need to be noted. A delinquent child is one that has little or no respect for authority. This causes them to act out against authority and any formal institution constraining him or her. A delinquent child is often characteri...

A Comparison of Limbo with Nothings Changed Essay Example

A Comparison of Limbo with Nothings Changed Essay Example A Comparison of Limbo with Nothings Changed Paper A Comparison of Limbo with Nothings Changed Paper Essay Topic: Poetry The poems Limbo and Nothings Changed have a lot in common if you look past the actual words into the meaning of the poems, you will see they both originate from the same theme; racism. Limbo tells the story of the Limbo dance and the joy of performing it. The poem is telling the story of a slave travelling from Africa to the West Indies in a slave ship. On the long journey, the slaves invented a dance called the Limbo dance which kept them fit and healthy so they could survive the journey. The dance involved walking underneath a stick only bending your knees; the stick started off low down then gradually went up every time you went underneath it without touching the stick. Nothings Changed is a poem based on the segregation of white people and black people in Cape Town, South Africa. In 1940, apartheid was gripping over South Africa, the rich white people earned 12 times as much as the black people. There was no actual law abut it but everybody knew it, the black people were forbidden to go where white people went. The poet is expressing his views about how bad the situation is and how much he hates it in this poem. In both poems, they involve white people taking advantage of black people and they both come from the view of black people and tell us how they are treated. However this is not so obvious in the poem Limbo, it can be spotted by the opinion the African Slave has of the White people in charge of the ship, the quote the dumb gods are raising me could mean the guards of the slaves picking him up to throw him off the ship. In Nothings Changed, this is more obvious because the poem tells the reader about District 6 where all the black people live, how they are not allowed in the posh restaurants with white linen table cloths and how they have their own scummy cafe with dirty floors and plastic tables. Another similarity of both poems is the way they both use sound words to portray the environment and setting. In Limbo, the sound words such as silence, knock and drum set the rhythm of the poem and give the impression of the actual Limbo dance. In Nothings Changed, sound words are used to give the impression of the places in which the African walks from and to; it also gives the reader a more visual image of the two restaurants. Examples of these words are click, crunch and crush which are hard sound words and grant the reader the impression of a hard life to live. In the same respect of using hard sound words, both poems portray a bleak picture of the locations where these two Africans spent their time. The setting of the ship in Limbo is a big dark boat in which resides evil, it does not portray a place where you would like to be. The setting in Nothings Changed is different from the ship because it does not sound all that bad; it sounds like a nice place however there is the underlying segregation that makes the reader feel hatred for the place. The poet shows us the area then he shows us the people that live in the area and that is what turns the reader around. Also, the way the scene is set in Nothings Changed does not motivate people to pack their stuff and hop on the next plane, the harsh words and attention to detail like amiable weeds, and it squats, in the grass and weeds do not exactly make it sound like a dream come true. Both poems involve one culture taking control and forcing the other to work for them, in Limbo, the Africans are taken from their homes and forced to work for the white people, while in Nothings Changed the white people own all the money and in doing so are lording over the natives. This theme for a poem suggests that the poets share the same opinion in that they do not like the English controlling the Africans and forcing them to live a life of poverty with little or no money. However the poets do differ on some occasions in their poems, Limbo and Nothings Changed have very different views on what should be done about their predicament. In Limbo, the message is one of acceptance and is telling the reader to accept the consequences and try and make the best of it. This is shown by the dance; it is depicted as being a joyous dance which is fun and exhilarating. Poems about slavery are not usually joyous and happy, but sad and full of hatred; this is because they are usually complaining about slavery. Nothings Changed does not encourage people to accept what is happening but to act upon it, it is a revolutionary poem full of hatred and it conveys that hatred to its audience to put an end to the maltreatment and poverty of black people. The last line in the poem: Nothings Changed brings about a dramatic end to the poem and the last stanza is one full of evil thoughts toward the white people. The layouts of the poems differ as well, Limbo has short stanzas and the layout indicates that of the movement of the dance, this helps the poem along with the beat. Meanwhile in Nothings Changed, the poet has made no obvious attempt to lay it out in a particular form other than stanzas arranged like paragraphs. I believe that the poet does not need to amplify his point with the layout but merely express himself with words. The major difference between the two poems though is the punctuation, in Limbo there is none but in Nothings Changed there is quite a lot. The abundance of punctuation in Nothings Changed shows that the poem was written for the fact of being read like a poem; unlike Limbo with no punctuation but a steady rhythm, it indicates it is like a song. The use of punctuation is clever because it forces the reader to read with a slower place and thus creating the effect of a hateful and despairing tone. The two poems are based on the same theme with some minor differences in the language and settings but both poets feel strongly on anti-racism but go their different ways about it. Limbo and Nothings Changed are the same in view but are completely opposite in the way they go about repairing it; one says acceptance while the other has a mind for war!

SELECTION FROM THE SUMMA THEOLOGIAE, ON CHARITY Essay

SELECTION FROM THE SUMMA THEOLOGIAE, ON CHARITY - Essay Example The first component of â€Å"charity itself† forms the centre of discussion in this essay. It consists of two perspectives, which include itself and charity considered as itself. This essay narrows this discussion to the aspects of† itself† which consists of eights points of inquiry. They include For the case of charity, being friendship is not true. Charity is not friendship because nothing is so convenient as to reside with one’s friend. This is objection is attributed to the philosophers2. In addition, charity is exercised by man to God but does not exist with men. This implies that charity is not friendship. According to the bible, Christ cements true friendship. This is where the fear of God and the learning of the divine scriptures bring men together. Contrary to this, Jo.xv.15 quotes â€Å"I will not now call you servants...but my friends† according to the philosophers’ argument, this statement was said by reason and not based on charity. This implies that charity is friendship. It is noticeable that not each aspects or character consists of friendship. For instance, the well wishing in itself does not suffice for friendship for certain common love. On the second article â€Å"whether charity is something created in the soul† the objection to this statement is attributed to the aspect of God is charity; God is a spirit (De Trin. Ix.17). This implies that charity is not something that can be created in the soul, but remains God Himself. A further objection is attributed to the fact that God is life of the soul spiritually just as the soul remains life of the body, according to Deut. Xxx.20. However, on the contrary, Augustine argues that, by charity the movement of the soul towards the enjoyment of God for His own sake. This implies that charity is created in the soul. On equal measure the argument goes further to define God’s acts as powerful and perfect. This follows that, charity is created in the soul, because it’s God’s act,

Homer argues thaat human victory over desire is possible because Essay

Homer argues thaat human victory over desire is possible because - Essay Example (Barnouw, 1) Unlike other Gods, Homer chooses to remain mortal and in such a life he has to face number of challenges and situations where he has to choose between his desire and his duty. His biggest challenge was the resistance of temptation. The first temptation he and his men had to face was while encountering sweet lotus plant. â€Å"They fell in, soon enough, with Lotos Eaters, who showed no will to do us harm, only offering the sweet Lotos to our friends...† (IX. 98-100) They thought if they ate the plant it was not a bad idea, but to resist the plant was a much wiser option. â€Å"†¦but those who ate this honeyed plant, the Lotos, never cared to report, nor return: they longed to stay forever, browsing on that native bloom, forgetful of their homeland† (IX. 101-104). Homer not only resisted this tempting plant but also forced his soldiers to get back into the ship, when he said, â€Å" I forced them, eyes full of tears, into our hollow ships, dragged them underneath the rowing benches, and tied them up†. (IX. 105-107) Yet another temptation they had to face was Seirenes. She would try to lure men with her beauty and music, â€Å"Square in your ship’s path are Seirenes, crying beauty to bewitch men coasting by...† (XII. 101-104) If men are not able to show their resistance towards Seirenes, they could fell into her clutches and no body could save them from death. â€Å"Woe to the innocent who hears that sound! He will not see his lady nor his children in joy, crowding about him, home from sea; the Seirenes will sing his mind away on their sweet meadow lolling†¦(XII. 50-54)† Sirens also tried to tempt Odysseus when she said that, â€Å"Come this way, honored Odysseus, great glory of the Achaeans, and stay your ship, so that you can listen here to our singing; for no one else has ever sailed past this place in his black ship until he has listened to the honey-sweet voice that issues from our lips; then goes on well pleased knowing more than ever he did; for we