Case study review Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case study review - Coursework Example However, one weakness reflected is that of high operating expenses. This is because the revenue is in â€Å"billions† whereby the net profit is only amounting to a few â€Å"millions†, thereby reflecting high expenses. High expenses could lead to operational inefficiency as well as higher prices for customers; therefore, they need to be controlled. On the other hand, the company has the opportunity to grow as it is currently only medium sized. By employing more people and increasing operations it can take advantage of economies of scale and lower prices for customers. Finally, it is likely that the company is facing the threat of high expenses owing to factors beyond its control such as rising labor costs and interest rates. 2. Fitness First Group Ltd Fitness Ltd’s strength lies in its geographic diversification as it is â€Å"international† in nature and has operations in 15 countries. Therefore, it can take advantage of lower costs in other countries as well as reduce legal and regulatory risks by operating in different countries. However, it may potentially possess weakness in the form of mismanagement of multi-cultural international markets. Furthermore, since the company is large in size and scale, HR conflicts and conflict between the strategies for home country versus host country is likely to be inherent. The company faces the opportunity of further expanding its geographic base and expanding into other countries, such as emerging BRIC economies, to take advantage of the rising health issues and increased demand for fitness by consumers in these countries. Furthermore, it can â€Å"go public† rather than remaining a private limited company as doing so will give it access to greater amount of finances and capital to run the business. This is particularly relevant because the company has international operations which may require share capital to sustain them. Finally, the company faces the threat of intense competition owing to its international operations. It is worth noting that the company may have to compete with already established players in countries other than its home country which would entail a potential risk of failing in those countries altogether. Furthermore, customers’ preferences, habits and lifestyle may be different in these countries and this is particularly relevant since the company is offering lifestyle-based service- fitness. 3. Oxford BioMedica plc The company’s strength lies in its association with an already established brand- â€Å"Oxford University† which shall give it enhanced reputation compared to its competitors. However, its weakness is that the company may require greater funds for further research and development as scientific research is typically cost. An amount of ?130mn may, therefore, be insufficient for this purpose. As far as opportunity is concerned, the company may have access to greater funding owing to funds provided by health and scientific organizations that generally have huge budgets for research and development. This funding can be used to develop innovative medicines as is the core mission of the company. However, the threats are also likely to be high owing to the controversy surrounding â€Å"gene-based† medicines. This means that lack of political will and regulatory compliance may delay patent protection which could ultimately put the large

News Article Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

News Article Analysis - Essay Example In such a situation, contrary to economic rules, budget deficits and printing money do not drive up inflation and slashing government spending has a disastrous effect on incomes and employment. Low inflation discourages borrowing and spending and encourages sitting on cash. The persistent weakness in the economy forces businesses to cut prices and prevents workers from bargaining for better wages. Paul Krugman argues for the need to provide monetary and fiscal stimulus to the economy to reduce unemployment and increase economic activity. He fears that letting these problems fester in the belief that these are short term problems would cause larger problems in the longer term. Conventional economic theory suggests that money supply is the most important factor in causing inflation, the classic explanation of â€Å"too much money chasing too few goods†. The $ 2 trillion that was injected into the economy should have caused the high inflation that many economists feared. However this perhaps was not real money injected into the system but more in the nature of a book adjustment for the distressed financial institutions. The two other factors that could have driven inflation were however absent in the US economy, the demand-pull factor and the cost-push factor. The demand-pull factor has been weak because of high levels of unemployment and the pessimism about the future in large sections of the people. There was no cost-push factor perhaps due to the fact that the crisis was global in nature. The Euro zone has been in recession and the China growth rate has slowed, reducing demand for a whole range of commodities. Conventional economic theory was formulated in a time period where each country’s economy was significantly insulated from others through geographic distance, tariff barriers and other obstacles to trade. These theories perhaps need re-examination in the light of the interconnection in global economy. Paul

Macbeth Coursework Essay Example for Free

Macbeth Coursework Essay Refer ring to the three main scenes that the witches appear in, write about the effect they give to the play as a whole and also how they influence Macbeth to behave as he does. Macbeth, a tragic story of how greed can corrupt the mind. Written in 1606 for King James the first, people did actually believe in witches. I my-self believe that William Shakespeare used the witches as the fuel for his play, I think this led to the massive success of Macbeth. When people thought of King James the first they may have also thought of witches. After all James did publicise his beliefs and thought in witches. He believed that they had an effect on his life. The people of his countries (England and Scotland) would have thought it was completely normal. Now a day, if someone accused someone of being a witch, the accuser would be looked upon in society as insane. The idea of witches over the years has simply dried out. In class we have watched and studied two different films based on Macbeth. One was Macbeth on the Estate. This was extremely different to what I expected. Produced in 1996 its quite a modern film. I thought it was incredible how they managed to use every word from Macbeth, (the play its-self) and fit it into a modern set. The film was filmed on an estate on Birmingham and the main characters were young street yobs! Personally I think it must have been a hard job for the film producers to re-film Macbeth into a modern time. Another film was just called Macbeth produced in 1971 its quite an old film. It was though exactly what I expected. It was a brilliant film and only a few features let it down. Music which I think plays a big role in films and plays because it allows us to understand the mood and feeling of the play/film. I think technology was to blame for this though! Did the witches have an effect on the audience? Yes of course did. Why? Simply because witchcraft played an big part in the lives of the people who lived during the period of the 1500s to the 1600s. I mean, going out to town, bowling is all normal but what about going to see the local witch been executed publicly? 300 years ago this would as normal as any of the activities above. Back then I think people were fascinated with witches. Witches held so much mystery and had a force of fear surrounding them. Of course this is what people thought, if people went to see Macbeth at the theatre in Leeds, obviously I dont think people would have as much interest as people 300 years ago. There would be interest in the witches Im not saying the opposite, but not as much as back then. I think it would make the audience wonder how and why the people of the 1600s lived like they did. The witches appear in three main scenes in Macbeth: Act 1 scene 1 Act 1 scene 3 Act 4 scene 1 In act 1 scene 1 they, to me, introduce the play. Although we often forget that the play is all about witchcraft, thinking about it, the witches do play an important part in Macbeth. I think when Shakespeare wrote act 1 scene 1 his intentions were to grip the audience at the very beginning. The witches do not appear to do anything in this scene it seems as if theyre there to introduce them-selves, they dont really appear for a reason. I think its just to hype the audience up for the rest of the play. In act 1 scene 3 the witches tell us basically what Macbeth is about. Shakespeare grips the audience even tighter when they say: FIRST WITCH: All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Glamis. SECOND WITCH: All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Cawdor. THIRD WITCH: All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter. I think Shakespeare here uses repetition really well. It adds mystery and feeling to the play. A Victorian audience at this moment must be really into the play. The mystery deepens even more when less than a few scenes away a messenger arrives to tell Macbeth that he is now Thane of Cawdor. A modern audience at this point must shiver with excitement. A Victorian audience may have done the same, after all these people did fear witches in their day. In act 4 scene 1 I dont really feel that this scene does much for the play. Some people may disagree and I can see why. I mean people sat their reading the book must be thinking, how the hell can a tree move? This is because Macbeth says: MACBETH: Who can impress the forest, bid the tree Unfix its earth-bound root? This will keep the reader wondering, I wonder when this prophesy will come true? I think they would think this because they want to see how the tree ends up moving this was clever on Shakespeares part this would have helped keep the audience interested. There are three prophesies all which tell Macbeth when to start worrying. The language the witches use is strange even for Shakespeares time! Another thing is that the lines are shorter than the lines in other parts of the play. I dont think this is a coincidence, I personally think Shakespeare did this to keep the witches rhymes simple. I think he did this to keep the audience interested and not put them off. The use of rhyme people often forget that poetic writing doesnt have to rhyme, in fact in the play there isnt really much rhyming going on, but when the witches speak in Macbeth therere speeches do rhyme unlike most parts of the play. To add even more mystery to the witches they use strange ingredients in their potions! I mean we all expect strange items but not that strange. Cats tongues, guts, eyes what more do we want? I think this would have helped Shakespeare with his audience. I think they would have loved the idea of witches around a cauldron especially James! Going back and looking at these two scenes: Act 1 scene 3 Act 4 scene 1 We see that Macbeth is involved in both scenes. In act 1 scene 3 we see Macbeth as a worrier for his country, a gentleman. In this scene he bumps into the witches with Banquo his best friend. From what I can tell Macbeth is a bit shocked I think this because he basically asks them what they are, I think he doubts that they are human. I think this because Macbeth says: MACBETH: Speak if you can: what are you? The witches then tell Macbeth that he shall be Thane of Cawdor then King. Banquo interrupting seems more enthusiastic about talking to the witches who then tell Banquo his children shall be Kings. Maybe Macbeth is trying to take in what hes just been told. I think Macbeth wants to believe the witches but he doesnt want to get his hopes up. Thats why hes looking for a reason, he asks: MACBETH: By Sinells death I know I am Thane of Glamis, But how, of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives A prosperous gentleman; The witches then vanish and Macbeth is left talking to Banquo. I think Macbeth is still avoiding taking about him been King, he says: MACBETH: Your children shall be Kings. In Act 4 Scene 1 we see Macbeth as a murderer and a evil man or should I say King. He barges onto the scene and demands answers from the witches I know this because he says: MACBETH: Howeer you come to know it, answer me: Three apparitions then go on to tell Macbeth three things: One that he should be aware of Macduff, Two that he should he should be aware of anyone not born from a womens womb and Three that he should we weary when the woods begin to move. I think at this point in the play Macbeth is worried about Banquos children and what the witches told Macbeth at the beginning of the play. I think this because he says: MACBETH: Can tell so much-will Banquos issue ever Reign in this Kingdom? The witches do not give Macbeth his answer. I think the reason for this is because if the audience know the answer to this question then they can figure out the end of the play. As Ive already said, I do think the witches played an enormous part in Macbeth. I also think that they play a rather big part in Macbeths life after all arent they really the ones responsible for King Duncans death? I think they are. I think this because at the end of the day the witches gave Macbeth the idea of killing the witch. I think as soon as the third witch says: THIRD WITCH: All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter. I think this is, in a way the poison been injected into Macbeths blood. Its only a matter of time before it begins to kick in, and when it does Macbeth will think up his plans to murder King Duncan. Another reason I think the witches are to blame is because Macbeth wouldnt have done it with out them I think this because Macbeth says to his wife when she pushes him into murdering Duncan: MACBETH: We will proceed no further in this business He also says: MACBETH: So foul and fair a day I have not seen. I think the above proves he wouldnt have murdered Duncan if he had not met the witches. I dont think the witches are all to blame though, I dont think Lady Macbeth helps either shes always trying to push Macbeth into committing murder. Some people in the audience may wonder if Lady Macbeth is a witch or perhaps the witches have put a spell on her? I have seen two different versions of the witches on screen and both were extremely different. Obviously the two versions were Polanskis version and Macbeth on the Estate. In Polanskis version the witches were what you would expect, old ugly women who lived in a dirty smelling cave but in Macbeth on the estates version the witches were played by three children who lived in an old abandoned flat. I thought this was a rather interesting (and clever) concept. Both films were very good but if I had to choose one which I thought was the most effective (concerning the witches only) I would choose Polanskis version. This is because the witches were exactly what I expect and want. You dont want sweet little children playing the part of horrible witches. It just isnt Macbeth. It rips the whole idea of witches into shreds or to be more precise it doesnt follow the stereotype. Some people may think this is a bad thing but I would have to disagree with them. However in Polanskis version the witches are brilliant theyre ugly, theyre old, theyre dirty and theyre naked. I also think Polanskis version was better because we saw the witches using magic. For example when they faded out into thin air. It was what I expected and the reasons above are the reasons I choose Macbeth over Macbeth on the Estate.

Responses to the Challenge of Amoralism Essay -- Philosophy Philosophi

Responses to the Challenge of Amoralism ABSTRACT: To the question "Why should I be moral?" there is a simple answer (SA) that some philosophers find tempting. There is also a response, common enough to be dubbed the standard response (SR), to the simple answer. In what follows, I show that the SA and SR are unsatisfactory; they share a serious defect. To the question, "Why should I be moral?" there is a simple answer (SA) that some philosophers find tempting. There is also a response, common enough to be dubbed the standard response (SR), to the simple answer. In what follows I show that SA and SR are unsatisfactory; they share a serious defect. I will interpret "Why should I be moral?" to mean "Why should I habitually perform the outward deeds prescribed by morality? Why, when I’m tempted to cheat or steal, ignore the sufferings of others, or renege on my commitments, should I do what morality calls for, and hence refrain from cheating and stealing, relieve the sufferings of others, and honor my commitments? Why should I go in for such things when so many other lifestyles are possible — for instance, that of a Gauguin or of a master criminal?" Perhaps the question has other meanings, but this is a natural one, and one to which SA and SR are meant to apply. Interpreting the question this way removes some unclarity from the phrase "be moral." But it removes no ambiguities that might stem from the word "should." SA and SR purport to do this. SA, briefly put, is this: "Why should I be moral?" is either a request for a moral reason to be moral or a request for another type of reason (or perhaps a motive) to be moral. In the first case it is absurd; in the second it is unreasonable or in some other way illegitimate.... ...t then, a page later, assumes without argument that altruistic considerations provide everyone with prima facie reasons to act. Understandably, he then treats "Why should I be moral?" as something more complicated than a request for a reason. The trouble is that Sterba’s "altruistic reasons" are among the things Foot calls moral considerations. Thus, he has not engaged Foot’s argument; he has made exactly the assumption her argument challenges. (9) A similar objection has been used against Foot. See Robert L. Holmes, "Is Morality a System of Hypothetical Imperatives?" Analysis 34 (1973): 96–100. Foot’s reply to it, which differs from mine, is in "‘Is Morality a System of Hypothetical Imperatives?’ A Reply to Mr. Holmes," Analysis 35 (1974): 53–56. (10) I discuss these and related distinctions in "Motivation and Practical Reasons," Erkenntnis 47 (1997): 105–27. Responses to the Challenge of Amoralism Essay -- Philosophy Philosophi Responses to the Challenge of Amoralism ABSTRACT: To the question "Why should I be moral?" there is a simple answer (SA) that some philosophers find tempting. There is also a response, common enough to be dubbed the standard response (SR), to the simple answer. In what follows, I show that the SA and SR are unsatisfactory; they share a serious defect. To the question, "Why should I be moral?" there is a simple answer (SA) that some philosophers find tempting. There is also a response, common enough to be dubbed the standard response (SR), to the simple answer. In what follows I show that SA and SR are unsatisfactory; they share a serious defect. I will interpret "Why should I be moral?" to mean "Why should I habitually perform the outward deeds prescribed by morality? Why, when I’m tempted to cheat or steal, ignore the sufferings of others, or renege on my commitments, should I do what morality calls for, and hence refrain from cheating and stealing, relieve the sufferings of others, and honor my commitments? Why should I go in for such things when so many other lifestyles are possible — for instance, that of a Gauguin or of a master criminal?" Perhaps the question has other meanings, but this is a natural one, and one to which SA and SR are meant to apply. Interpreting the question this way removes some unclarity from the phrase "be moral." But it removes no ambiguities that might stem from the word "should." SA and SR purport to do this. SA, briefly put, is this: "Why should I be moral?" is either a request for a moral reason to be moral or a request for another type of reason (or perhaps a motive) to be moral. In the first case it is absurd; in the second it is unreasonable or in some other way illegitimate.... ...t then, a page later, assumes without argument that altruistic considerations provide everyone with prima facie reasons to act. Understandably, he then treats "Why should I be moral?" as something more complicated than a request for a reason. The trouble is that Sterba’s "altruistic reasons" are among the things Foot calls moral considerations. Thus, he has not engaged Foot’s argument; he has made exactly the assumption her argument challenges. (9) A similar objection has been used against Foot. See Robert L. Holmes, "Is Morality a System of Hypothetical Imperatives?" Analysis 34 (1973): 96–100. Foot’s reply to it, which differs from mine, is in "‘Is Morality a System of Hypothetical Imperatives?’ A Reply to Mr. Holmes," Analysis 35 (1974): 53–56. (10) I discuss these and related distinctions in "Motivation and Practical Reasons," Erkenntnis 47 (1997): 105–27.

Hopelessness in Albert Camus The Plague and Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot :: comparison compare contrast essays

Hopelessness in Albert Camus' The Plague and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot  Ã‚   Does Existentialism deny the existence of God? Can God possibly exist in a world full of madness and injustice? Albert Camus and Samuel Beckett address these questions in The Plague and Waiting for Godot. Though their thinking follows the ideals of existentialism, their conclusions are different. Camus did not believe in God, nor did he agree with the vast majority of the historical beliefs of the Christian religion. His stance on Christianity is summed up most simply by his remark that "in its essence, Christianity (and this is its paradoxical greatness) is a doctrine of injustice. It is founded on the sacrifice of the innocent and the acceptance of this sacrifice" (Bree 49). Camus felt that Jesus Christ was an innocent man who was unjustly killed. This does conflicts with all of Camus' values. However, Camus did not believe that Jesus was the son of God. Camus' inability to accept Christian theology is voiced in The Plague by Riex and juxtaposed against the beliefs preached by Father Paneloux (Rhein 42). Paneloux's attitude toward the plague contrasts sharply with Rieux's. In his first sermon, he preaches that the plague is divine in origin and punitive in its purpose. He attempts to put aside his desires for a rational explanation and simply accepts God's will. In this way he is not revolting and therefore falls victim to the plague. Father Paneloux's belief that there are no innocent victims is shaken as he watches a young boy die of the plague. Camus purposefully describes a long, painful death to achieve the greatest effect on Paneloux: "When the spasms had passed, utterly exhausted, tensing his thin legs and arms, on which, within forty-eight hours, the flesh had wasted to the bone, the child lay flat, in a grotesque parody of crucifixion" (215). Paneloux cannot deny that the child was an innocent victim and is forced to rethink his ideas. During his second sermon, a change is seen in Father Paneloux. He now uses the pronoun "we" instead of "you," and he has adopted a new policy in which he tells people to believe "all or nothing" (224). Father Paneloux, as a Christian, is faced with a decision: either he accepts that God is the ultimate ruler and brings goodness out of the evil that afflicts men, or he sides with Rieux and denies God.

Nucor Corporation Essay

Assess how globalization and technology changes have impacted the corporation you researched. Nucor Corporation has been known as a leader in the steel production industry since it was founded in 1955 as Nuclear Corporation of America (www.nucor.com). In the steel production industry, globalization is the driving force that affects competition. Since the modern day steel industry is of a global scope, including the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, China, and many other foreign countries, Nucor has made moves to counteract the impacts of globalization. In the mid-1900’s, the steel industry was plagued by overcapacity of foreign material due to the â€Å"dumping† of foreign steel into the United States at cut-rate prices. As many domestic steel firms did not have the resources to compete with these foreign giants, Nucor was in the best position to defend against foreign competition with their low-cost German technology, and in 1955 they started their first international venture with a Brazilian steel production company, and built their first international steel mill in the state of Ceara. Nucor was also threatened by the leader in foreign imports to the United States, so they bought a Japanese-owned mill in New York. Today, Nucor Corporation is continuously attempting to meet the challenges of a globalized market by expanding through acquisition in hopes that this will strengthen their market position and become a more globally competitive organization. Steel is the modern technology of the building, automotive, and several other industries. Advances in steel production technologies can drastically change the industry’s make-up, helping mills to produce material at lower costs. Nucor Corporation has been and continues to be a pioneer of new production technologies that helps them to produce material competitive in quality and cost to that of foreign producers. Traditionally, steel mills were/are using energy-intensive blast furnaces to make material. In 1969, through the use of advanced technologies, Nucor was able to produce the first mini-mill which relies primarily on scrap metals instead of iron-ore and coke. With the introduction of electric arc furnaces instead of the traditional blast furnaces, Nucor has been able to increase market share through the more efficient, lower-cost production that has helped them to triple their output since the 1990’s. Apply the industrial organization model and the resource-based model to determine how your corporation could earn above-average returns. Resources| 1. Nucor is known as a price leader in the steel production industry.| | | | 2. Nucor is constantly adding new product offerings and advancements in technology to lower the costs of production.| 3. $1.1 billion in capital expenditures budgeted for 2013 (www.nucor.com).| | | | | 4. Managers that are knowledgeable about the current trends in the global market which helps them maintain the ability to overcome the negative effects of slow economic growth.| 5. Nucor has strong relationships with its suppliers and buyers.| | | | | 6. Nucor has its own fleet of 150 trucks to ensure on-time delivery and reduce transportation costs.| Capability| 1. Nucor follows a low cost provider strategy, as it aims to provide a product that meets industry standards at the lowest available price in the industry.| 2. Nucor maintains an expertise in the implementation of technology that will help them lower production costs while increasing profit margins.| 3. Nucor steel production mills are located strategically near customers all over the United States to cut down on transportation costs.| 4. Nucor has limited long-term debt that places them in a position to grow through acquisitions. | Competitive Advantage| While the rest of the steel production industry focuses on the import material that is flooding the market and causing domestic pricing to slip rapidly, Nucor is in a strong financial situation to gain an advantage over their competitors by spending their available capital on growth and technology.| An Attractive Industry| The steel trade/import firm industry.| | | | | | | | Strategy Formulation and Implementation| Nucor can use their resources and capabilities to exploit them through a foreign import trade firm. Being known as a price leader in the steel production industry, Nucor can take advantage of the acquisition of a trade firm to bring foreign material into the United States without setting prices so low that they disrupt domestic pricing. This will allow them to buy steel from foreign producers at a low price and sell it to domestic consumers at a price high enough that it will not cause a decrease in domestic material, eventually increasing profit margins for Nucor Corporation.| Assess how the vision statement and mission statement of the corporation influence its overall success. Nucor Corporation is focused on their customers: their employees, shareholders, and the people that buy and use their products. Nucor’s vision is to be the safest, highest quality, lowest cost, most productive, and most profitable steel and steel products company in the world. This vision is the foundation of their mission: â€Å"Take care of our customers† (www.nucor.com). Nucor has established an internal â€Å"fit† with their employees and managers which include those that strive to improve efficiency while establishing strong relationships among employees, based on the Nucor values such as honesty, autonomy, trust, communication, and self-motivation. This type of value-added employment undeniably leads to short-term growth and long-term success. Those that do not uphold this â€Å"fit† will eventually leave on their own terms. This shows Nucor’s strength in management values, and provides a competitive advantage. Nucor Corporation also takes care of the people that buy their steel by constantly rising to the challenges of advancing technology to be able to produce quality material at a low cost. This type of value-added service paves the way for customer loyalty, eventually leading to long-term success in the industry. Evaluate how each category of stakeholder impacts the overall success of this company. Stakeholders are the individuals, groups, and organizations who can affect the firm’s vision and mission, and whom are affected by the strategic outcomes achieved, and have enforceable claims on the firm’s performance (Smith, Ireland, Hoskisson, 2013). These stakeholders are classified into three different groups: Capital Market, Product Market, and Organizational. Capital Market Stakeholders are comprised of the shareholders and the lenders. Shareholders can use tactics to pressure management into making certain decision for the corporation, and if they become dissatisfied they can sell their stock in the company. In the case of Nucor, the major lenders approved the risks of developing and implementing the electric-arc furnace technology through financing. In turn, being able to produce lower cost material has helped Nucor Corporation to have higher profit margin, thus producing a higher dividend for investors. Product Market Stakeholders include the customers, suppliers, host communities, and unions. Nucor has the ability to produce low-cost, high-quality steel that keeps customers loyal to their brand, even if the price rises. Being able to sell lower cost products at a higher price helps Nucor to maintain supplier loyalty as well because they are able to pay their scrap suppliers a higher price. Nucor also has locations all over the United States that employ over 20,000 people, which in turn helps these host communities through employment and revenues. Lastly, Organizational Stakeholders are the employees of Nucor. I would venture to say that the organizational stakeholders of Nucor Corporation are the bread and butter of the company. Their value-added services and product knowledge, mixed with the Nucor â€Å"fit†, can either make or break the success of the company. References Hitt, Hoskisson, Ireland (2013). Strategic Management Concepts and Cases: Competitiveness and Globalization. Cengage Learning: Mason, Ohio. www.nucor.com. Retrieved 7/10/2103.

Rudyard Kiplings Classic Speech on Values in Life

Rudyard Kiplings Classic Speech on Values in Life Both praised and criticized as a popular writer, Rudyard Kipling was a poet, novelist, short-story writer, and notorious imperialist. He is best known today for his novel Kim (1901) and his childrens stories, collected in The Jungle Book (1894), The Second Jungle Book (1895), and the Just So Stories (1902). Values in Life appears in A Book of Words (1928), a volume of Kiplings collected speeches. The address was originally delivered in the fall of 1907 to the students at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. At the end of his talk Kipling says, I have no message to deliver. Consider whether you agree with that observation. Values in Life by Rudyard Kipling 1 According to the ancient and laudable custom of the schools, I, as one of your wandering scholars returned, have been instructed to speak to you. The only penalty youth must pay for its enviable privileges is that of listening to people known, alas, to be older and alleged to be wiser. On such occasions youth feigns an air of polite interest and reverence, while age tries to look virtuous. Which pretences sit uneasily on both of them. 2 On such occasions very little truth is spoken. I will try not to depart from the convention. I will not tell you how the sins of youth are due very largely to its virtues; how its arrogance is very often the result of its innate shyness; how its brutality is the outcome of its natural virginity of spirit. These things are true, but your preceptors might object to such texts without the proper notes and emendations. But I can try to speak to you more or less truthfully on certain matters to which you may give the attention and belief proper to your years. 3 When, to use a detestable phrase, you go out into the battle of life, you will be confronted by an organized conspiracy which will try to make you believe that the world is governed by the idea of wealth for wealths sake, and that all means which lead to the acquisition of that wealth are, if not laudable, at least expedient. Those of you who have fitly imbibed the spirit of our university- and it was not a materialistic university which trained a scholar to take both the Craven and the Ireland in England- will violently resent that thought, but you will live and eat and move and have your being in a world dominated by that thought. Some of you will probably succumb to the poison of it. 4 Now, I do not ask you not to be carried away by the first rush of the great game of life. That is expecting you to be more than human. But I do ask you, after the first heat of the game, that you draw breath and watch your fellows for a while. Sooner or later, you will see some man to whom the idea of wealth as mere wealth does not appeal, whom the methods of amassing that wealth do not interest, and who will not accept money if you offer it to him at a certain price. 5 At first you will be inclined to laugh at this man, and to think that he is not smart in his ideas. I suggest that you watch him closely, for he will presently demonstrate to you that money dominates everybody except the man who does not want money. You may meet that man on your farm, in your village, or in your legislature. But be sure that, whenever or wherever you meet him, as soon as it comes to a direct issue between you, his little finger will be thicker than your loins. You will go in fear of him; he will not go in fear of you. You will do what he wants; he will not do what you want. You will find that you have no weapon in your armory with which you can attack him, no argument with which you can appeal to him. Whatever you gain, he will gain more. 6 I would like you to study that man. I would like you better to be that man, because from the lower point of view it doesnt pay to be obsessed by the desire of wealth for wealths sake. If more wealth is necessary to you, for purposes not your own, use your left hand to acquire it, but keep your right for your proper work in life. If you employ both arms in that game, you will be in danger of stooping, in danger also of losing your soul. But in spite of everything you may succeed, you may be successful, you may acquire enormous wealth. In which case I warn you that you stand in grave danger of being spoken and written of and pointed out as a smart man. And that is one of the most terrible calamities that can overtake a sane, civilized white man in our Empire today. 7 They say youth is the season of hope, ambition, and uplift- that the last word youth needs is an exhortation to be cheerful. Some of you here know- and I remember- that youth can be a season of great depression, despondencies, doubts, and waverings, the worse because they seem to be peculiar to ourselves and incommunicable to our fellows. There is a certain darkness into which the soul of the young man sometimes descends- a horror of desolation, abandonment, and realized worthlessness, which is one of the most real of the hells in which we are compelled to walk. 8 I know of what I speak. This is due to a variety of causes, the chief of which is the egotism of the human animal itself. But I can tell you for your comfort that the chief cure for it is to interest yourself, to lose yourself in some issue not personal to yourself- in another mans trouble or, preferably, another mans joy. But, if the dark hour does not vanish, as sometimes it doesnt, if the black cloud will not lift, as sometimes it will not, let me tell you again for your comfort that there are many liars in the world, but there are no liars like our own sensations. The despair and the horror mean nothing, because there is for you nothing irremediable, nothing ineffaceable, nothing irrecoverable in anything you may have said or thought or done. If, for any reason, you cannot believe or have not been taught to believe in the infinite mercy of Heaven, which has made us all, and will take care we do not go far astray, at least believe that you are not yet sufficiently important to b e taken too seriously by the Powers above us or beneath us. In other words, take anything and everything seriously except yourselves. 9 I regret that I noticed certain signs of irreverent laughter when I alluded to the word smartness. I have no message to deliver, but, if I had a message to deliver to a University which I love, to the young men who have the future of their country to mould, I would say with all the force at my command, Do not be smart. If I were not a doctor of this University with a deep interest in its discipline, and if I did not hold the strongest views on that reprehensible form of amusement known as rushing, I would say that, whenever and wherever you find one of your dear little playmates showing signs of smartness in his work, his talk, or his play, take him tenderly by the hand- by both hands, by the back of the neck if necessary- and lovingly, playfully, but firmly, lead him to a knowledge of higher and more interesting things. Â   Classic Essays About Values Of Truth, by Francis BaconAn Essay on the Noble Science of Self-Justification, by Maria EdgeworthSelf-Reliance, by Ralph Waldo EmersonQuality, by John GalsworthyA Liberal Education, by Thomas Henry HuxleyWhat Life Means to Me, by Jack LondonThe Tyranny of Things, by Edward Sandford MartinOn Virtue and Happiness, by John Stuart MillWho Owns the Mountains? by Henry Van Dyke