A Study On Triumph Of Will

A Study On Triumph Of Will The ultimate aim of documentary is to find the perfect way of representing the real is what Stella Bruzzi believes is the function of a documentary. As she states it herself, the ‘aim is to ‘find the perfect way of ‘representing reality. The three underlined words are themselves hypothetical terms that are not certain, hence this is the first indication that documentary might not necessarily achieve its aim. Documentary style of films are still under debate as to how ‘real can they be, this probably why Stella Bruzzi uses the word ‘find instead of a more commanding and certain word. Therefore, what is really a documentary according to different theorists? John Grierson, the first writer to use documentary as a term in his review of Robert Flahertys Moana, came up with his famous dictum that documentary is ‘the creative interpretation of actuality. Griersons essayFirst Principles of Documentary argued that documentary was cinemas potential for observing life could be exploited in a new art form; that the original actor and original scene are better guides than their fiction counterparts to interpreting the modern world; and that materials thus taken from the raw can be more real than the acted article. Contrary to Bruzzis idea of ‘representing reality, Grierson believes in ‘interpreting it. Interpretation can be in form of re-enactment. So the question that arises is how realistic is a documentary that has actors and scenes â€Å"guiding† the flow of the film? Any re-enactment or borrowed situations can be manipulated to reflect the directors idea, which leaves hardly any space for 100% reality. The term ‘documentary stems from the verb ‘to document to convey information on the basis of proof and evidence to support it, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. In the realm of films and cinema, a documentary is a film that is an attempt, in one fashion or another, toshowreality as itreallyis. Another way of defining documentary is the necessity to capture life as it is as it naturally appears. It needs to be filmed surreptitiously, while the goal is to capture lifes unawareness and natural beauty.The term has expanded to encompass many additional aspects than its original definition. ‘Documentaries was a term used to describe movies shot on film stock, which is a term used to describe the discovery of celluloid a product much less fragile than the paper film previously used. It has now come to involve video and digital productions, whether for private use, made-for-TV or for the big screen. The continuing goal of documentaries is to constantly work to identify a film making practice that captures life as it truly is, create a cinematic tradition that remains interesting and lively, and finally, to gain and maintain a connection with the audience. There are several types of documentary, but for this essay, I will pit two completely different ‘documentaries and analysis which of these two, make it closest to the above different definitions. Triumph of the Will a propaganda film made by Leni Riefenstahl and Super Size Me is a documentary by Morgan Spurlock are the two documentaries I will take into account because their genres are completely different from each other, and this could lead to an interesting analysis of the documentaries purpose and what they attain in the end. Triumph of the Will/ Triumph des Willens In 1934 Hitler suggested that Leni Riefenstahl film the party rally of that year. Hitler wanted a first-rate filmmaker to direct the film of the party rally, having insisted several years earlier that he wanted to exploit the film as an instrument of propaganda in such a way that the audience will be clearly aware that they are going to see a political film. It nauseates me when I find political propaganda under the cloak of art. Let it either be art or politics. Riefenstahl demanded that the film be made by her own company rather than by the Ministry for Peoples Enlightenment and Propaganda. Hitler agreed to this demand and promised not to interfere with the filming; he granted her complete freedom to make the film she desired. Although ostensibly her company financed and distributed Triumph of the Will, there is little doubt that the Nazi party actually provided the funds as well as the setting and every facility possible for unimpeded film recording of the event. This reflects gre atly on the biasness that is present in the film. Hitlers SA and SS were known for generating fear, and even if promised to have interference in her documentary, if Riefenstahl did show something negative about the Nazi Party, it could only mean either her disappearance or concentration camp. Moreover, the title of the film was suggested by Hitler himself, implying that after all it was not independent of any political pressure. The camera crew used thirty cameras and were dressed as SA men so that they would not be noticeable in the crowd. Although there are at least twelve sequences in the film where the wary spectator can detect cameras at work, in general the crew working the film is very well disguised. Triumph of The Will (1935) is not only a masterpiece entirely on its own, divorced from political or propagandist considerations, but in its emotional manipulation of the audience represents the very heart of what propaganda is all about. (Barsam, 1992, 130) Riefenstahl is able to create a glorified representation of the NSDAP, or Nazi party, with the use of a music score that invents Hitler as heroic. Her ability to represent a political party so triumphantly is noted in the moving and chilling pieces of cinematography when Hitler gives his final speech and compares his party to a holy order. She captures an essence far purer than the NSDAP, and in a way does more than justice to the partys attempts of propaganda. On the other hand, her achievements in portraying the NSDAP as glamorous can be seen as misrepresenting and a line can be drawn between fact and fiction as to, whether her glorifications are unjust and morally wrong. For the Nazis, the euphoria of a perfect Germany according to them can be portrayed with proper film aesthetics but without directly referring to the contemporary society of the 1930s. The what it would be like if Nazis ruled agenda can be portrayed with the use of abstract visuals and other techniques as long as the real is not referred to, as societies in Germany were not of pure race. The idea of creating a pure race and portraying this in a film is almost mythical, yet alone absurd. In order to portray an Aryan world blatant lies and imaginative discourse would be called for. The ethical implications behind this, is that the people themselves must change in order to create this ideal society. The overly repeated Flag Bearer image depicts symbolism connected to Nazism; the inclusion of a flag bearing the Nazi Swastika symbol represents the militarized power of the party. As a trend in Nazi propaganda, there is enormous emphasis on military symbols in Triumph of the will, triggered deeply felt emotions associated with Germanys former military might. Leni Riefenstahls editing provides an insight into the status of Triumph of the Will as Nazi propaganda. For example, one sequence during Hitlers arrival in Nuremburg is composed of four shots; the first two shots show the old buildings of the city and then a German flag therefore representing the old, traditional Germany. The following two shots depict Hitler and then a Swastika. This sequence typifies how Riefenstahl has represented the Nazi ideology of a return to a mythical epoch by linking the ideals of the traditional dogma with a visionary future. Similarly, before the scene of the city awakening Riefenstahl links a shot of an old church to represent Volakis thought, with the rally camp site to signify the new Germany. Incidentally Hinton suggests that as result of these sequences, Triumph of the Will is more than a document of the 1934 Nazi Party Rally; it is a document of the city of Nuremburg where the viewer gains a sense of the beauty and history of the medieval centre. F urthermore, the use of German and Nazi flags ties in with the use of military symbols inherent in the propaganda of the Third Reich. She also states that; ‘In my cutting room, it was the most difficult work of my life describing the task that took at least five months to fulfil. She explained that she did not care much about chronological accuracy on the screen and that she intuitively tried to find a unifying way to edit the film in a way which would progressively take the viewer from act to act and from impression to impression. With political pressure, adoration for Adolf Hitler, and clearly a propaganda film, Triumph of the will does portray reality in terms of the images used, they are all live and not re-enacted by Riefenstahl. However, it is a biased documentation of the reality. I believe it would have been a real documentary if only there was not so much of glamour shown about the Nazi rallies, and the darker side such as the Holocaust and ghettos were also covered. The latter would have made it a more objective piece of work, making it more of a documentary instead of a propaganda tool. Super Size Me Morgan Spurlock decided to make this documentary to investigate the fast food companies, and the effects of certain fast food chains products, particularly McDonalds, on the health of society. This Documentary explores the United States growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes as well. Morgan decides to eat nothing but McDonalds food for thirty days. He must eat one of everything on the menu at least once, and when asked to super size his meal he must do so. Another stipulation of Morgans experiment is that he can only take 5,000 steps a day to replicate the exercise that most average Americans get on a daily basis. He must also eat three meals a day, no exceptions and if McDonalds doesnt serve it Morgan cant eat it.Morgan enlists three doctors to assist him through his thirty day documentary. A cardiologist, gastroenterologist, and a general practitioner all check him out at the beginning of the experiment which makes it credible because there is science supporting and bringing logi c to the results of the experiment. Critics of the film, including McDonalds, argue that the author intentionally consumed an average of 5,000 calories per day and did not exercise, and that the results would have been the same regardless of the source of overeating. He was eating solely McDonalds food in keeping with the terms of a potential judgment against McDonalds in court documents highlighted at the beginning of the film. The film addresses such objections by highlighting that a part of the reason for Spurlocks deteriorating health was not just the high calorie intake but also the high quantity of fat relative to vitamins and minerals in the McDonalds menu, which is similar in that regard to the nutritional content of the menus of most other U.S. fast-food chains. About 1/3 of Spurlocks calories came from sugar. His nutritionist, Bridget Bennett RD, cited him about his excess intake of sugar from milkshakes and cokes. It is revealed toward the end of the movie that over the course of the diet, he consumed over 30 pounds of sugar, and over 12 lbs. of fat from their food. The nutritional side of the diet was not fully explored in the film because of the closure of the clinic which monitored this aspect during the filming of the movie. Spurlock claimed he was trying to imitate what an average diet for a regular eater at McDonaldsa person who would get little to no exercisewould do to them. Spurlocks intake of 5,000 calories per day was well over twice the recommended daily intake for a sedentary adult male, which would amount to only about 2,300 calories. A typical man consuming as many calories as Spurlock did would gain nearly a pound a day (which is roughly how much Spurlock gained), a rate of weight gain that could not be sustained for long periods. Additionally, Spurlock did not demonstrate or claim that anyone, let alone a substantial number of people, eats at McDonalds three times per day. In fact McDonalds is mentioned during the movie to have two classes of users of their restaurants: There are the Heavy Users, (about 72% of the customers, who eat at their restaurants once or twice a week), and the SUPERHeavy Users (about 22% of the customers, who eat McDonalds 3 or more times a week). But no one was found who ate at McDonalds three times a day. Spurlock said that he was eating in thirty days the amount of fast food most nutritionists suggest someone should eat in eight years. Though Spurlock provokes fear of fast food, he fails to acknowledge that poor diet is not the only cause of obesity, and that the â€Å"toxic environment† he describes is reason enough to consider that the responsibility should in fact be in the corporations hands. What Spurlock does exactly is that he reflects his own ideology. Before going for the experiment and documenting it he was clear as to what he wanted to show by the end of it and worked towards it, hence it can be debated that he made the documentary with his biasness to his idea, and giving more coverage to the latter instead of bringing about more balance reflection such as the influence and pressure on Americans by the constant advertisements about fast food. Comparison of both documentaries From the information given above about the documentaries in question the first thing that is important to note is the fact that Triumph of the Will was an idea suggested by Adolf Hitler whereas, Super size Me was the idea of an ordinary American filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. This is an important fact to be taken into consideration because eventually the ideology and aim intended by Adolf Hitler and Morgan Spurlock is what will ‘direct the ideas reflected in the documentary, hence, objectivity can be compromised. For reality to be completely present in order to have a real documentary there should be ideally, no draw backs on objectivity in the portrayal of ideas. Adolf Hitler was a Nazi dictator ruling over a powerful country like Germany, his influence and power to pressurise Leni Riefenstahl was unquestionable. On the contrary, Morgan Spurlock was just an independent director. What kind of objectivity and impartiality (two very important subjects to reflect reality) can one expect from a director working under a dictator who controlled the population through fear? The purposes of both documentaries are extreme opposites. Triumph of the Will was intended to be a propaganda political film. Propaganda is after all; a form of communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed toimpartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus possiblylying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further apolitical agenda. In comparison to this, Super size Me was more to do with creating awareness amongst people. Creating awareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to beconsciousof events. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer w ithout necessarily implyingunderstanding. This suggests that Spurlock was not aiming at influencing people to completely revolt against fast food but at least beware and conscious of the harmful effects of it. He leaves it upon the audience to make their choice without brainwashing them. The presentation of Triumph of the Will is what documentary forefather, John Grierson would categorise under Poetic mode. Such documentary thrive on a filmmakers aesthetic and subjective visual interpretation of a subject, in addition to it different music is selected for different scenes, just like in the Triumph of Will. By contrast, Super Size me is what Grierson would categorize under participatory mode, in which filmmakers move from behind the camera and appear as subjects in their own work like Spurlock carries out his experiment himself and becomes the main subject of the documentary. The time period in which both documentaries are set in are also crucial points to be noted. Triumph of the Will was set in 1935 in Germany, where people were in the middle of Nazi revolution and political chaos. In contrary to 2004 America where Super Size Me is shot, the taste of the audience has changed dramatically. Audiences of Super Size Me are not only in America but world around, which wasnt the target audience of Triumph of the Will, the latter was meant for only the Germans. To add to this, Germans in 1934 were comparably less educated than the audience of 2004, because one of Germanys major issues at that time was low education. Hence, propaganda movies worked to its full potential as people would not question or form their own opinions; however, the same cannot be expected from liberal thinking people in 2004. The taste of what audience around the world want now is completely different from what was expected in 1930s. Nowadays, reality and truth in the form of controversy is what really gets peoples attention. One may wonder if 1930s audience would have liked to watch real documentary, what if Triumph of the Will was to include scenes from the concentration camps, how would have the audience responded to the documentary? Lastly, editing plays a big role in representing reality. The camera can capture all the truth there is to be captured, but the audience eventually see what is presented to them after much chopping done in the editing room. Directors choice of scenes, images and music is what is eventually reflected in the documentary. In other words, only one or a few peoples choice or ideology is selected and presented to the audience. The directors selection does not necessarily have to reflect the reality. Therefore, how is reality ever represented in documentaries? Conclusion Bibiolography:  · Stella Bruzzi, New Documentary: A critical Introduction, Routledge, 2000  · Paul Ward, Documentary: The margins of reality, Wallflower Press, 2005  · Bill Nichols, Introduction to Documentary, Indiana University press, 2001  · Michael Renov , Theorizing Documentary, Routledge, 1993 * Lee, J., 2008-08-06Propaganda Techniques in Early Documentary Films: An In-depth Analysis with Seven DevicesPaper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Marriott Downtown, Chicago, ILOnline.2009-05-23fromhttp://www.allacademic.com/meta/p272071_index.html * Henrik Juel, Defining Documentary Film, http://pov.imv.au.dk/Issue_22/section_1/artc1A.html * Malene Jorgensen, What is a Documentary? Defining the Characteristics of a Documentary Film, http://documentaryfilms.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_a_documentary, Sep 11, 2009 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leni_Riefenstahl * Jill Godmilow, in conversation with Ann-Louise Shapiro, How real is real is the reality in documentary film? http://www.nd.edu/~jgodmilo/reality.html * http://classes.design.ucla.edu/Spring04/161A/projects/Wes/Exercise_B/mainpage.html * Helen Abbott, Movie analysis: Nazi ideology in Leni Riefenstahls Triumph of the Will, http://www.helium.com/items/468495-movie-analysis-nazi-ideology-in-leni-riefenstahls-triumph-of-the-will * Caoimhe Crinigan, Movie analysis: Nazi ideology in Leni Riefenstahls Triumph of the Will, http://www.helium.com/items/1463308-the-nazi-filmmaking-of-leni-riefenstahl-to-be-deplored-and-respected * http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Supersize-Me-Conceptual-Analysis/141479 * http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/28660.html * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awareness * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_film * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_mode * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Size_Me

Human Dignity in A Lesson Before Dying Essay -- Ernest J. Gaines

Human Dignity in A Lesson Before Dying    Grant and Jefferson are on a journey. Though they have vastly different educational backgrounds, their commonality of being black men who have lost hope brings them together in the search for the meaning of their lives. In the 1940’s small Cajun town of Bayonne, Louisiana, blacks may have legally been emancipated, but they were still enslaved by the antebellum myth of the place of black people in society. Customs established during the years of slavery negated the laws meant to give black people equal rights and the chains of tradition prevailed leaving both Grant and Jefferson trapped in mental slavery in their communities. The struggles of Grant and Jefferson share a common theme, man’s search for meaning. Grant has the advantage of a college education, and while that may have provided some enlightenment, he remains in the same crossroads as Jefferson. Grant sees that regardless of what he does, the black students he teaches continue in the same jobs, the same poverty and same slave-like positions as their ancestors. Grant has no hope of making a difference and sees his life as meaningless. Though Jefferson’s conflict is more primal, it is the same as Grant’s struggle. Jefferson is searching for the most basic identity, whether he is man or animal. It is this conflict of meaning and identity that bring Grant and Jefferson together. In this book, Ernest J. Gaines presents three views to determine manhood: law, education and religion. Jefferson has been convicted of a crime, and though he did not commit it, he is sentenced to death as a "hog" a word that denies any sense of worth or fragment of dignity he may have possessed in a world ruled by oppressive white bigots. Jefferson is at an even greater loss as he has no education and after the conviction he doubts that God can even exist in a world that would send an innocent man to his death. It is clear that Jefferson does not believe he has any value. " ‘I’m an old hog. Just an old hog they fattening up to kill for Christmas’ " (83). Though Grant may have had some advantages compared with Jefferson, his position in life was not significantly better than Jefferson’s. Grant knows that if he had been the black man sitting in the courtroom, he too would have been convicted. In his powerful opening to the novel, Grant says, "I was not there yet I was there... ...rong tell them im a man" (234). Jefferson died with dignity and Grant returned to Bayonne believing he could make a difference. It is not clear that religion, a belief in God, made the difference for either of them. It is clear that as they struggled with the issue of a higher power, they did discover that the meaning of their lives was not attached to the white man’s beliefs and myths, but rather came from inside themselves. To the end, they both struggled with whether or not there was a God. As they end their journey together, Jefferson is at peace and becomes a hero in his community. Though Grant cannot be a hero, he does find his place and returns to the schoolhouse with new hope and a vision for making a difference, if not for himself, for his students. He doubts himself at times, but he gains determination for his students. "Yet they must believe. They must believe, if only to free the mind, if not the body. Only when the mind is free has the body a chance to be free. Yes, they must believe. They must believe. Because I know what it means to be a slave. I am a slave" (Gaines 251) Works Cited Gaines, Ernest J. A Lesson Before Dying. New York: Vintage Books, 1993.

Banco de Compartamos

Any company that decides to go into the stock exchange must exude extra caution before making the bold step to go public. Initial public Offer (IPO) of a company mostly can tell how that company is going to do in the stock markets depending on the number of subscriptions received. It is worthy to note that stock prices keep fluctuating and that the price of a company’s share represents the financial position of the company. Companies with a higher share price in the stock exchange are taken by the public and other stake holders to be doing well.In addition to that, the company's affairs become public as they are now prone to analyst reports and public shareholders criticism. In this study, Banco de Compartamos, a micro finance bank offers its shares in the Mexico Stock Exchange which arouses a lot of controversies among major shareholders. Can Compartamos still perform their duties to the poor? Is it possible for them to combine these two without deviating from the purpose for which the bank was originally established? Can they handle the pressures presenting themselves to it as a public company?This is a thorough review and analysis of Compartamos' decision to make the bank a public entity and how it has affected their performance. Banco Compartamos IPO Going public for a micro finance company and in particular Compartamos may prove to be a good thing as well as a bad thing. In the eyes of the public, it may seem like Compartamos is getting too business oriented and that it may lose its focus on helping the low income group that it has been serving. Going public is also a risky endevour because it exposes the business to a lot of external forces.The bank's performance must now be published and analyst's comments go far into exposing the company's weak points which the competitors may take advantage of. Every quarter shareholders, analysts, fund managers and competitors will be waiting to see the financial outcome of the period. This means that the compa ny must work extra hard to maintain positive image or otherwise cause their own downfall. Another note is that Compartamos was doing quite well financially with return on equity (ROE) increasing from 47. 7% to 56. 1% between 2004 and 2006 as compared to others who were averaging at 21.2% in 2006. In fact, Daniel confirmed that from the operational point of view there was no need to sell the shares. They were only doing it as a secondary offering. Compartamos IPO on the other hand proves to be a good venture from the look of its performance in the stock exchange. As a matter of fact, interest by investors was so high that there had to be several revisions of the share price up to P$40 per share. Compartamos market capitalization was $1. 56 billion dollars which is so much to go for hence my agreement that it was the right choice for them to go public.Most impressive was the high interest investors had in the bank which saw them register thirteen times over subscription. From my point of view, a private sale would have been even worse in terms of catering to the customers' needs. This is because the buyers may not have the welfare of the low income group at heart which was the largest target for the bank. The choice was also better than taking debts being offered to them by non-financial debtor which were being offered at the investor's rates.The other thing is that activities of the bank are not going to change as it will continue providing services to the Popular Financial Sector (PFS) which was the main purpose of its introduction back in 1990. Serving the poor and the capital markets demand. It seems like Banco Compartamos has deviated from its objective of serving the poor by getting into the stock exchange. This is according to several stakeholders and analysts such as Richardson of World Council of Credit unions and Chuck Waterfield who thinks the decision is untimely.The question however lies on Compartamos. Can they manage both serving the poor and meet ing the capital market demands? So far, Compartamos has been doing very well in the stock market with its the book value of shares rising to $126 million in 2006 from $6 million at the time of the IPO and an internal rate of return of over 100% in only eight years! Most analysts recommended it because of its prospects for growth and high profitability. The co-CEO of Compartamos seems concerned about the clients.They discuss how they can offer better services and hence improve their lives. Apart from GDI (Generadora de Ingresos) or ‘the income generator loan', they are considering coming up with new products for the people. This means that Compartamos is still committed in its duties improve the lives of the poor. According to ACCION international, Compartamos IPO sent a message that service to the poor can go hand in hand with profits. â€Å"The two Carlos† Strategic options for the future The future of Compartamos looks bright but challenges are never ending in the wor ld of business.The strategies put forth by the â€Å"two Carlos† will have to be met by the end of the year. Client base must be increased to one million, they have to preserve the social mission and at the same time cope with the daily pressures of becoming a public company. The Charlies surely have a great role ahead of them. In order to attain new markets to increase their client base and defend their leading position in the sector coordinated planning is essential. First of all they should lay a good strategy and make plans on how they are going to accomplish their goals.I particularly like that they have set a time limit. This acts as a goal by itself and a motivating factor. With the high rise in competition due to many entrants in the micro finance sector, their strategy should include expanding by coming up with new products that are unique to compliment GDI. A new product will always appeal to customers especially if it comes with an attractive package. Maybe they sh ould consider lowering their interest rates so as to attract new clients and keep the current ones.This would also mean they are helping the poor socially because now they can take cheaper loans hence develop themselves. Compartamos has no market penetration in Mexico as much as it has wide branch coverage. New products will definitely help it in overcoming this challenge. As long as you are a public company, there will always be politics and attacks mostly aimed at breaking the company by presenting a bad name about it. The Charlies know that their bank has not deviated from their original mission. What remains as the challenge is proving it to the public.This can be done by constantly reminding people that they are still committed to serving them while at the same time showing it through action. The best thing for the Charlies is to increase their efforts of serving the poor so that the bad image portrayed by the attackers can be dissolved in the face of the good work that they ar e doing. It’s about playing with the psychology of the shareholders and its clients to avoid the negative effect that would otherwise result. Before deciding to set up new branches, it should consider the viability of the area and whether the market is promising.Areas outside the country especially if micro finance is not well established in the market are a good opportunity though care should be taken to properly establish expected risks and returns. This can be done through conducting researches before investing there. Mergers and acquisitions should also be performed with extra caution to maintain the quality of services offered. The advantage of mergers is that they add to a company's competitiveness. If not well calculated though it may lead to the downfall of an otherwise good businesses.The future of micro finance industry. The IPO will undoubtedly attract more players into the micro finance sector and probably other market-led approaches to poverty. For now, Compartam os remains the lead among them all. There is a possibility of new models coming up that may pose a challenge to Compartamos. Compartamos should be the future of the micro finance sector. This is because most junior micro finance organizations will want to emulate its success and in doing so they may consider copying some of its policies.In the past, most micro finance organizations in Mexico have only concentrated on giving soft loans to regular customers as their only business. Compartamos is more advanced giving insurance policies and also engaging in normal bank business activities. The structure of the market however is that it is always dynamic and one can never tell what tomorrow may bring. Mergers may be forged leading to bigger organizations that would overtake Compartamos. Conclusion and Recommendations Banco de Compartamos has led by example.In the hands of Carlos Labarthe and Carlos Danel, it is bound to spring even higher in the micro finance sector after going public. D uring the IPO shareholders presented the organization with a cheap source of finance that is barely available to other companies of its nature therefore placing them at an absolute advantage. It becomes one of the largest companies in the Mexican Stock Exchange with over $2 billion in market capitalization. I do believe that their bold step into going public has a lot in the benefit package which if used well could see the bank grow outside its boundaries.On the side of helping the poor, they have not failed in that area yet. As a matter of fact, it is a case of logic to see that by they use the obtained finance to expand their business activities and to offer more loans. It is like giving the financially stable a chance to be owners of the bank an in return making them bring their billions to the poor. Furthermore, if more loans are given out, development of the poor is enhanced. Now that Compartamos have entered the league of companies listed in the stock exchange, a lot is expect ed to change which calls for extra caution.We have already seen them suffering their first challenge with attacks from various shareholders about their decision to enter the stock exchange. However, should their shares in the stock exchange do well; the good public image will work to ensure they always do well financially. It is worthwhile to note that the visibility of the IPO will showcase the superior financial performance of the micro finance sector. This is bound to cause an increase in competition in Mexico. Challenges are more forthcoming now but they should not treat them as problems but as stepping stones to higher grounds.Since Compartamos is confident that it can serve both their clients and the financial sector as well, they should come up with well defined policies to make sure that they do not deviate from their course. It is quite normal for businesses to concentrate more on what is bringing in the most cash but they should always remember the sole objective for which they were set up; to help the poor grow financially. Word Count (1887) References Cuellar, R. G. & Chu, M. (2008) Banco Compartamos: Life after the IPO. Harvard: Harvard Business School

Essay on Terror in America - 2378 Words

Terror in America On the most horrifying day in American history, with smoke still billowing out of rubble in New York and Washington, a grim-faced President addressed the U.S. nation from the Oval Office, Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist attacks... Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into building, fires burning, huge structures collapsing have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger. September 11, 2001.... By far it was the most devastating terrorist attack ever on American soil, as four planes headed to California were hijacked†¦show more content†¦Congress: International terrorism poses an increasingly dangerous and difficult threat to America... Todays terrorists seek to inflict mass casualties, and they are attempting to do so both overseas and on American soil. They are less dependent on state sponsorship and are, instead, forming loose, transnational affiliations based on religious or ideological affinity and a common hatred of the United States. This makes terrorist attacks more difficult to detect and prevent. Wanted: Osama Bin Laden Before night fell on the collapsed World Trade Center complex, the wealthy Saudi expatriate, Osama Bin Laden emerged as the prime suspect, based on known associations with the hijackers. Known as the contractor, Bin Laden operates a loose confederation of terrorist groups that dispatch funds and trained warriors to terrorist groups around the world. Even before September 11th, Bin Laden was on the FBIs Top 10 Most Wanted List for masterminding the East Africa Embassy bombings and the year 2000 attack on of the USS Cole. He also is thought to have sponsored the mid-90s bombings of U.S. facilities in Saudi Arabia. And in the late 90s, Russian military intelligence sources reported he was hunting for nuclear weapons in Chechnya and in the Central Asia republics, to convert his ballistic weapons into suitcase nukes. Bin Laden was born in 1957, son of a wealthy general contractor in Saudi Arabia. Working for the Saudi RoyalShow MoreRelatedHow The War Of Terror Has Changed America1523 Words   |  7 PagesKevin Hoopes Mrs. Engle Academic Writing 9 April 2015 How the War of Terror has Changed America On September 11, 2001 the United States of America was forever changed. A series of attacks lead by a man named Osama Bin Laden, the leader of the organization called Al-Qaeda, would bring America into a new war, the War on Terror. This war would not be like the wars of before, nation against nation, but would rather be a much more global conflict (â€Å"War†). The war would also not merely involve the UnitedRead MoreThe Cold War and the War on Terror987 Words   |  4 PagesEerily, it seems that during the Cold War and the War on Terror, many of the feelings that citizens felt were the same, but what America called the enemy was different. Following the September 11th attacks, there was a feeling of paranoia felt throughout America similar to the paranoia felt during the Cold War. Americans did not feel safe, and an attack could come at any time. The fight on the home front looked different during the Cold War and the War on Terrorism. During the Cold War thereRead More Torture Is A Violation Of Human Rights1337 Words   |  6 PagesConstitution of the United States of America; also, torture is not effective because captives will often break, and give the interrogators phony information just to stop the pain. A man who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations named Kofi Annan believes torture should never be used. He uses an agreeable quote when he states â€Å"Let us be clear: torture can never be an instrument to fight terror, for torture is an instrument of terror† (Annan). In other words, what AnnanRead MoreEssay on The War on Terror1493 Words   |  6 PagesWar on terror refers to the ongoing military campaign led by U.S and U.K against organizations identified as terrorists. Terrorism can be defined as an unlawful violence or war deliberately targeted to civilians. It can also be defined as a systematic use of terror to coerce or violent acts intended to create fear. This threat is normally perpetrated for religious, political or ideological goals. The conflict as also called by other names. They include World War III, The Long War, War on TerrorismRead MoreAmerican Military Intervention Against Isis1048 Words   |  5 PagesFor many years ISIS has been terrorizing the East, with a few sporadic attacks in America claiming to be a part of ISIS. This has been happening alongside the Syrian civil war where ISIS is attempting to topple the Assad Shiite regime. Obama has been assisting the rebels in Syria and the fight against ISIS, but he has been reluctant to put boots on the ground. Because of the new attacks on American embassies in the East, the president has decided to militarily intervene. In accordance to Just WarRead MoreThe American Response1361 Words   |  6 PagesWar and the War on Terror. Both of these wars have accomplished their goals, but come at a great cost. There were quite a few factors in both of these wars that affected international security. First, I will analyze both of the wars and then intertwine them together to show the overall effect they have created on America. Let us look first at the War on Terror. The War on Terror started after the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda attacked America on September 11th 2001. America responded with a militaryRead MoreChomsky And The War On Terror1277 Words   |  6 Pageslinguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, logician, political commentator, social justice activist, and anarcho-syndicalist advocate does an elaborate job in his speech given at Harvard University, to make us question if there really is a war on terror. Chomsky calls everybody a hypocrite and uses the U.S. Army Manual definition of terrorism to argue that there can’t be a war on terrorism because the U.S. is also a terrorist group itself. We can’t fight something if we ourselves do that same thingRead MoreAmericas Part in Terrorism Essay examples1214 Words   |  5 Pages The argument Chomsky makes in his book â€Å"Power and Terror† is that the United States is actively participating in terrorism. In many interviews , speeches, and conferences where Chomsky is involved, he makes reference to this point of view. The United States of America does participate and contribute to what most Americans would consider acts of terror. Webster defines terrorism as the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes. This explanation of the wordRead MoreA Look Back at 9/111307 Words   |  6 Pages9/11 One of the most known and worst events occurred on September 11, 2001. Terror attacks occurred in the United States of America in the cities of Washington D.C. and New York City. An Al-Qaeda terrorist group organized this attack by sending terrorists on four different airplanes to crash into the World Trade Center in New York City, and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center, while another one was targeted for the Pentagon. Although one plane hit theRead MoreThe War on Terror vs. Wwi Essay1008 Words   |  5 PagesThe War on Terror can readily be compared to WWI.   The following analysis will compare and contrast these two important historical occurrences.   It will also examine just a few of the many consequences of both.    Beneath its cloak, the infamous War on Terror garners striking similarities to WWI.   The terror attack on Austria-Hungary ignited the War on Terror†¦nearly a century later.   It was not until 1914 that a terrorist attack was utilized to provoke military response.   The attack of September