Evergreen Investment Essay Example for Free

Evergreen Investment Essay Case Summary This case talks about an American mutual fund company that was facing problems  ·with its CRM system. Sales agents felt that they derived little value from it and also it was time consuming. The company is investigating if it could solve this problem by introducing mobile CRM to be accessed wirelessly on blackberry devices. But what are the key factors that have contributed to the success of mobile CRM initiative at Evergreen? Evergreen investments’ background Evergreen investments are the America’s 25th largest asset management company and 32nd largest investment management in the world. It is headquartered in Boston and Charlotte. The company entrusted with $250 billion in assets, over 350 investment professionals and over 3 million investors. CRM in the past In the past, the company use company-supplied laptops to gain access to CRM system, send Emails to customs and expend reporting and commission tracking. At the same time, the company use mobile phones to give their customs a voice call. Scheduling client calls is another way to build a link with customs. It include informal face-to-face meet. And also, client calls can make company knows the actual sales pitch, discuss market topics with customs, meet new faces and call back-up for data. At last, company update any information in CRM, and participate in evergreen conference call at fixed period. Issues in the past Although the company uses CRM to gain some success, their issues still exist. On the one hand, this method required too much time. The company needs to dial up the Internet, using multiple passwords and entering lengthy data, all of which are time consuming. On the other hand, some information is unavailable when they needed. More specifically, when the company meets the customer, laptops were unavailable. Moreover, the company required the use of internal sales consultant to help them handle the business with customers. At last, entry CRM is not easy, the company usually required 1 day per week and sometimes data is unreliable. Mobile CRM In order to improve the CRM system, the company introduces mobile CRM to be accessed wirelessly on blackberry devices. Blackberry main menu allows for easy access to CRM. Its clicking track wheel allows drill down into any sales number. Initial screens display YTD, MTD, previous day’s sales, or large orders. It enables more detailed data, reports, customer information, and other tasks. Detailed customer screens show single customer information including contact details and sales summary. On the basis of this mobile CRM, the Evergreen Investments’ design greatly improved and the productivity increased as well. The key factors to success The success of the company using mobile CRM due to three factors, easy to use, reliability and updated. More specifically, using the simple method can build an easy way to contact between customers and company. It also makes the company more effective in terms of CRM. In addition, the CRM system should be reliability for both customers and company, which resulting a trusted relationship between customers and company. At last, the company should update their data about their customers. The updated progress should be easy and fast. Potential threats Even if the company uses mobile CRM with an exact way, they may face some potential threats as well. People do not need to come to office, they just need a mobile phone and work wherever they want, which could lead to the low efficiency. They need to handle the relation between family and work. And also this kind of work pattern is not easy for managers to manage their company.

Financial Analysis Of British American Tobacco Plc Finance Essay

Financial Analysis Of British American Tobacco Plc Finance Essay Introduction The purpose of this report is to provide information Interpretation of British American Tobacco plc (BAT) in terms of historical record, comparative financial indicators, and position in the market along with key value drivers for the company and performance indicators. This is done by analysing the information provided in the historical and present financial statements. About British American Tobacco Revenue Analysis British American Tobacco is a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange, which has direct and indirect stakes in several companies together constituting to be the British American Tobacco Group of companies. The group achieved gross turnover of GBP 40,713 million with revenues amounting to GBP 14,208 Million in the year 2009. There are more than 250 brands in their portfolio with Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike Paul Mall being their flagship cigarette brands which are together sold in more than 120 countries with total sales constituting 196 Billion cigarette units (Annual Report, 2009). The company follows the accounting cycle starting 1st January of the calendar year ending on 31st December of the same calendar year. The company currently has 95,710 employees on its payrolls. It sold 724 Billion cigarette units in the same year and has production capabilities in 50 cigarette factories based in 41 countries. British American Tobacco is the second largest tobacco company in the world (Excluding China), while it has 6.4% share of the UK market, dominant players being Imperial Tobacco Japan Tobacco International (Nielsen Data, Feb 2010). 74% of BATs sales come from the developing countries emerging economies (Annual Report, 2009). Revenue by Geography BATs largest market lies in Western Europe which accounted for 27.3% of its total revenues in FY 2009. BAT saw an increase of 20.7% from the revenues it had registered in the FY 2008. Asia Pacific accounted for 23% of its total revenues while Americas accounted for 22.2%. Eastern Europe accounted for 11.5% o the total revenues while the highest performed for BAT turns out to be Africa and Middle east which accounted for 22.2% but it saw an increase of 31.2% in terms of revenue over last year. Historical Performance Analysis British American Tobacco was established as a joint venture between the Imperial tobacco group of the United Kingdom the American Tobacco Group of the United States in the year 1902. Subsequently, In the year 1911 the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 1913, the company looked overseas for expansion and entered the Argentinean markets. In the 1920s, British American Tobaccos capitalization had quadrupled since 1902 and sales grew by nearly a factor of 40. In 1923, The Companys worldwide sales had grown to 50 billion cigarettes per year. By 1962, British American Tobaccos capitalization allowed it to move towards diversification. It grew consistently, however, and was achieving turnover at the rate of 15% per annum by 1970. Diversifying and expanding at a rapid pace, British American Tobacco became a well known brand globally. With uncertainty about a long term market in tobacco, steps were taken to reduce BATs dependence on the tobacco industry. In 1986, only half o f its total pre tax profit came from tobacco group which was down from 57% pre tax profit BAT achieved in the year 1985. The 1990s were not a good time of the decade for tobacco sales as companies in the industry faced several lawsuits and litigations. The U.S. courts awarded verdicts which cost the tobacco companies millions of dollars as the consumer claimed tobacco related illness and relatives of smokers who claimed heavy compensation. The company continued with its strategy to take over small to midsized companies as it acquired Canadas dominant tobacco company, Imasco in the year 2000. The company has been consistently achieving Year on Year growth in the range of 8-12% in terms of revenue since 2005. While it has consistently maintained the operating margin percentage in the range of 26%-29% from 2005 to 2009, the Adjusted Diluted earnings per share has been rising from 56.9p in 2000 to 153p in the year 2009 (Annual Report, 2005-2009). Annual Report Analysis The goal of accounting information is to provide economic decision makers with useful information, according to Williams, Haka, Bettne Carcello (2006, p. 670). Financial statements analysis is not just important for the shareholders but various stakeholders as well. The Group has prepared its annual consolidated financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as endorsed by the European Union. Some of the highlights of the Annual Report include revenue increase of 10% at constant rates of exchange 17% at current rate, when compared to the financials for the year 2008. Adjusted profits from operations too increased by 10% at constant rates and 20% at current rates. The total benefit of the result amounted to GBP 355 Million, which resulted in adjusted diluted earnings per share grow by 19% to 153 pence. Over the past 5 years, BAT has achieved a compounded annual growth rate of 15% in earnings per share and 19 % in dividends per share. The total shareholder returns over the same 5 year has been 175% compared to the FTSE 100 index which gave 35% returns to the investors. The financial analysis views the group as a strong player in the global tobacco industry. The resilience in achieving profits wealth generation along with geographical diversification has positioned the group as a multi national company with strong fundamentals which makes it more susceptible to face risks and unforeseen events in the future. In the first half of the financial year 2009, Sales volumes had increased by 4% or declined by 2% when the benefit derived from acquisition was excluded. BATs free cash flow remained strong and resilient during the year 2009 and looks set to remain the same in the year 2010 despite volume pressures. Price increases sales improvements continue to offset the volume pressure faced by the company in the broad range of other markets. In the financial year 2009, FFO was 31% of fully adjusted debt which was 3% points higher than the FFO in the year 2008. The reason for the same was marginal decrease in debt along with the increase in earnings due to acquisitions. The absorption of operating cash flow in to discretionary spending has slowed due to the company suspending the offer to buy back shares until further notice given. BAT is likely to generate free cash flows despite various expenses like restructuring dividend payments to the shareholders as it has ample internal liquidity, cash flow characteristics access to capital markets. The liquidity of BAT was supported by a) USD 1.75 Billion revolving credit facility for a five year period which along with the cash balance of USD 1.3 billion exceeded gross debt maturing on June 2010; b) Bond maturities; Bond worth USD 2.5 billion were issued to extend the groups debt portfolio c) Finance accessibilities; It has ready access to credit facilities on offer by the financial institutions; d) Significant cash position in excess of USD 1billion. Based on analysis, BATs profitability margins are on par with its global peers. BAT intends to improve its sales by 2 % year on year by price increases and product mixes. Market share reached by BAT in specific markets determined its profitability. Operating margin in developing countries can be compared with the margins achieved in matured markets as shown by the margin achieved in excess of 30% in regions like Latin America, Africa and Middle East. EBIDTA margins for BAT in the year 2009 figured 36%, has had a significant rise of 2.5% percentage point from 33.5% margin it achieved in 2008 and 32.5% in 2007. One widely accepted method of assessing financial statements is ratio analysis which uses data from balance sheet and income statement to produce interpretation which have financial meaning to it. Assessment of the financial health of a business is quick and relatively simple when information is derived using the relevant financial ratios. Ratio Analysis A ratio is a simple mathematical expression of the relationship of one item to another, according to Williams, Haka, Bettner, and Carcello (2005, p. 674). Ratios can provide diverse information to diverse financial information users. The analysis of annual report suggests the following ratio analysis of the group. The relevant ratios have been grouped and presented in this paper under various heads. Profitability Assessment: Operating Margin: BAT achieved an operating margin of 31.12% in the year 2009 mainly due to savings it achieved in supply chain, general overheads and indirect costs. The impact of higher leaf prices and input costs were offset due to these savings. It allowed the overall operating margin to increase from 30.7% to 31.4% in the year which was much greater than the industry and sector average of 22.01% and 10.10% respectively. BAT also, had much better margins when compared to Japan tobacco which could achieve operating margin of 4.76%. Return on Equity: BAT has been a fundamentally sound company demonstrating consistency in giving return on equity to its shareholders. In the FY 2009, BATs Return on Equity was standing at 37.05% which was considerably higher than the industry and sector average of 11.57% and 8.01% respectively. While Japan Tobacco could manage to achieve little less than 10% Return on Equity, BAT has been since the past able to maintain consistent returns. In the past four years starting 2005 2008, BAT gave returns of 26.12%, 27.70%, 28.95% 30.44% respectively. These numbers give confidence to investors and allow BAT to be looked upon as a good company to place ones bet on. Return on Capital Employed (ROCE): Corporate Profitability can be determined by assessing the trading profit that the company has achieved over the capital employed by it to achieve the same. BAT achieved an ROCE of 20.82% in the FY 2009 which is slightly better than the Industry average and sector average. BAT fared approximately twice as better when compared to Japan Tobacco. Asset Utilisation: Asset Turnover: BAT was able to main asset utilisation which was on par with the industry average. The industry average for the FY 2009 was 0.58, while BAT registered an asset utlisation ratio of 0.73. The company is expected to register even better numbers in the near future as FY 2009 saw some acquisitions which resulted in BATs performance on par with the market in terms of making its asset sweat. Closure of the Soeborg factory in Denmark, Downsizing of manufacturing plant in Australia and impairment charges for certain software assets resulted in these assets having minimum and limited future economic benefit. But with consolidation resulting in greater savings and better utlisation of the assets of the companies acquired in the emerging markets, the asset turnover ratio is expected to fare better in the next financial year. Interest Cover: BATs interest cover remains steady at 8.6x in the FY 2009 compared to 8.5x which was reported in the FY 2008. It was offset as a result of the financial arrangements carried out for the acquisitions. Pre-Tax impact on adjusting item distorts the interest cover. Risk Tolerance By analysing the financial statements, BATs policy seems to be moderate as it focuses on maintaining EBIDTA coverage of gross interest payments between 5x and 9x at the same time maintaining cash balance exceeding USD 1 billion and five year maturity on its debt profile. BAT needs to strike a fine balance between acquisitions and share buy backs to avoid over stretching its debt capacity over a short time frame due its commitments to a 65% annual dividend payout ratio. In the year 2008, BAT reduced its annual buy back commitment from USD 750 Million to USD 400 Million to accommodate acquisitions. BAT also suspended its buy back program in 2009 until further notice. Cash Flow Adequacy Growing profitability would benefit the companies debt protection metrics to a greater extent. Strong conversion of profits into cash supports BATs financial metrics. The groups future working capital requirements will remain stable in proportion to its annual sales unless there are any significant large scale acquisitions. BATs capital expenditure of its net operating cash flows is very low when compared with the averages in food, beverage tobacco industries. In the year 2009, BATs capital expenditure accounted for 15%-20% of net operating cash flows. BATs future capital expenditure is most likely to grow giving the compounded annual growth rate of the company along with the industry. Key Performance Indicators The key performance indicators for BAT has been its consistent ability to maintain growth in its core competency. Revenue for the FY 2009 grew by 17% which is 3 4 per annum greater than the target growing revenue for the medium and long term. This was possible due to acquisitions it made and favourable exchange rate movements. One of the key strengths of the company in terms of its performance is its diversified global drive brands which constitute majority of the sales for the company. Though growth of 16% was achieved in the FY 2008 in this segment, FY 2009 volumes grew by 4% which is coherent with the companys strategy to achieved single digit growth over the long run. The adjust profit from operations achieved by the firm was well above the company target to achieve 6% profit from operations. BAT registered a growth of 20%. The net cash from operating activities in the FY 2009 was up by  £26 million to  £ 2630 million. Free cash flow per share increased by 2%, the ratio of free cash flow to adjusted diluted earnings was 86%. Adjusted Earnings Per Share (EPS) had grown at an average of 11% over the last ten years. This exceeds the companys target of growing at a single digit figure per annum on an average. Adjusted diluted EPS grew by 19% in the year 2009. S.W.O.T. Analysis Strengths: Diversified Global Brand Drive (GBD) portfolio One of the keys strengths of the group is its diversified portfolio of cigarette brands. In the FY 2009, overall volume of the GBD grew by 4%. Emerging Economies Currently, 74% of BATs revenues come from the emerging economies. Enhanced Internal Operations BAT saved GBP 239 Million in the FY 2009 by improving its supply chain, overheads and indirect costs. Weaknesses: Legal Issues Recoupment actions and Class actions are filed against the company and its subsidiaries which in turn impacts not only the brand image but also its cost structure. Poor Asset Utlization The companys Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE) has been poor when compared to its competitors. Philip Morris International and Altria Group recorded an ROA of 29.7% and 20% respectively with BAT recorded an ROA of 15.1% only. Similarly, ROE for BAT was lower than Philip Morris International which recorded 99.2% while BAT could achieve 40.6% only. Opportunities Acquisitions BAT completed an acquisition of a Turkish state owned tobacco company in the year 2008 which elevated its market share from 7% to 36%. In the same year, BAT Bought Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni (ST) which allowed it to increase annual sales of approximately 30,000 million cigarettes. Recently BAT acquired PT Bentoel Internasional Investama, Indonesias fourth largest cigarette maker which had sales of around 250 million cigarettes a year. These acquisitions would increase the global presence of BAT across the globe and in turn enhance its topline and profitability. Growth of Tobacco Industry The tobacco industry is forecasted to witness growth. It is estimated that there would be 1.3 billion smokers in the world by 2020 up from 1.3 billion currently. According to the Datamonitor estimates, the global tobacco market generated total revenues of $429.3 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.1% for the period spanning 2005-2009. Cigarette sales generated total revenues of $394.2 billion in the FY 2009, equivalent to 91.8% of the markets overall value. The global tobacco market is forecasted to have a value of $490.2 billion, an increase of 14.2% since 2009. BAT is the second-largest global cigarette player. It tends to benefit from this positive outlook. Threats Illicit Trade Illicit trade is estimated up to 660 million cigarettes a year which represents 12% of world cigarette consumption. This results in losses upto GBP 4 Billion to GBP 7 billion a year. Increase in illicit trade would reduce revenues of the company. Advertising restrictions Brand Building, advertising and promotion are facing hindrances globally. The absence of marketing would effect introduction and promotion of new products in the markets. It could have a negative impact on BATs sales. Consumer focus and awareness on health issues Increasing health consciousness and introduction of substitutes to cigarettes into the market has led to decline of sales for the company. Pharma products and nicotine replacement patches along with chewing gums are the new source of harmless alternatives. What makes British American Tobacco work? The year 2009 was a challenging year for the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) segment. Total market volumes declined by 2% for the BAT products. The overall performance for BAT was firm . It continued to invest in its marketing initiatives which resulted in it maintaining its market share in key markets. The Global Drive brands (GDB) grew by combined 4% in terms of volume. These accounted for 27% of the global volume sales for BAT. The overall brand mix for BAT is balanced between premium, mid-price low-price. Managing business to business relationships makes up for a large part of BATs trade marketing activities. BAT co-ordinate its business with its trading partners to ensure that it is able to meet the demands of the customer at the right place and at the right time. This has worked out well for the company as it helps it maintain the market share in a highly competitive tobacco industry. Understanding customer and their needs is of the core non financial activities of BAT. BAT regularly surveys their customer base internationally against its peers in the FMCG industry and particularly against its competitiors in the tobacco industry. Their efforts made them be recognised as the leading business in the tobacco category for customer relationship management by Dow Jones sustainability index for the third successive year in 2009. Apart from its own marketing initiatives, BAT makes efforts to develop marketing programmes jointly with its retail partners, who engage with consumers in market channels like Global Travel Retail and Global Convenience Retail. For BAT, the Direct Store Sales in the most preferred way of selling cigarettes to customers. It fecilitates greater access to consumer information and market. It has also helped them with a direct commericla link to their most strategic retail accounts. In the FY 2009, total sales volumes distributed through DSS reached 50%. Integrated Global Enterprise Apart from the key revenue generators for the company, BAT has been able to achieve growth by savings. BAT was successful in turning a multinational business operations in over 180 markets into an integrated global enterprise which take better advantage of its scale. It led to savings in supply chain, overheads and indirect costs amounting to  £239 million. The company has a target achieve  £800 million savings by 2012.

Essay --

QUESTION 1 Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is a seemingly straightforward analytical tool that is used to assess complex public policy decisions, however CEA does not always account for all intangible benefits. Cost-effectiveness is used to help pinpoint neglected opportunities for improving health and then allotting scarce resources to obtain better health outcomes for society. Since Britain’s has limited resources to concentrate on public health issues that have varying outcomes with regards to survival and quality of life. Cost-Utility Analysis (CUA), part of the cost-effectiveness family is an appropriate technique to utilize when making such decisions because it allows different health outcomes to be transformed to a common unit, known as QALYs (quality-adjusted life year). Yet, societal benefits and costs are often not considered for CUA. Additionally, measuring QALYs is harder than measuring the monetary value of life through improvements in health, as is done with cost–b enefit analysis. Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), also a part of the cost-effectiveness family is used to recognize value in terms of economic efficiency, in that it improves allocation of scarce resources. In addition, some individuals believe that life is invaluable and there are moral problems with assigning a value on human life. The main limitation for CEA, is the weighting of QALYs through trade-offs and specific health outcomes may also make it hard to quantify, thus making it harder to measure all factors that may influence QALY for an individual. Also, QALY’s lack of usefulness to physicians in determining the proper route of treatment for their patients represents another limitation. Additionally, older individuals are presumed to have a lower QALY... ...e surface appears to be a good idea however some individuals may argue that this would interfere with individual liberties. The best approach to find out if providing incentives works or if excise taxes works to decrease obesity is to use the cost-effectiveness analysis tool. Researchers will be able to pinpoint which policies are working and which ones are failing because cost-effectiveness is associated with cost-benefit analysis. This means if the benefits outweigh the costs, then policymakers should implement the policy with the most benefit. I believe the optimum approach to addressing the obesity epidemic is to have government incentivize individuals for maintaining a healthy Body Mass Index and to expand evidence-base school interventions. More effort should be focused on education because behaviors are learned not only in the home but also in the classroom.

United States Intelligence Agencies :: essays research papers fc

Although the cold war has ended and the Soviet Union has disbanded, there is still a need of intelligence collection for the United States. Finding itself as the leader of the rest of the world, the United States must prepare to identify problems as they arise, the earlier the detection, the more likelihood for success. With any one intelligence agency having too much information, problems could arise; therefore, it is imperative to keep a close watchful eye on these agencies to ensure that personal rights are not infringed upon. The success of intelligence gathering agencies is hard to determine. It is difficult to argue that covert operations had much of an impact on the outcome of the cold war (Nutter), but the cold war was not and is not the only objective for intelligence agencies. In fact, since the cold war the intelligence agencies of the United States have accomplished several tasks set before them; for instance, assisting other countries in identifying terrorists like Carlos the Jackal in Sudan, the head of the Shining Path in Peru, and the ring leader of the World Trade Center Bombing in the Philippines. As the leader of the world in the 21ST century, the United States intelligence agencies must keep up this highest level of information gathering procedures in order to stay ahead of any upcoming problems down the road. With intelligence gathering operations being utilized as collection assets on embassies of opposing nations based in the United States, careful consideration must be used when working so close with the American public. Everyday information that may appear irrelevant could be very valuable to domestic or foreign-based companies for advertising campaigns, marketing forecasts, and price gouging. This type of information leakage is a violation of an American’s rights. One problem with having so much information at home and abroad is seeing the correct way to solve dilemmas before they occur. While in war actions of questionable ethics often go unanswered and are hardly given a second thought. In 1941 when the Czech military intelligence service approached the British Special Operations Executive for assistance in an assassination of a German SS Officer no questions were raised, not even about who the target maybe (Richelson). With any agency possessing too much knowledge internally, it may choose to take the short road to ensure success of a mission. Thus, the American public should support the United States intelligence agencies, but keep a close watchful eye on them as well.

Designer Babies Essays -- essays research papers

Designer Babies I’ve been poked and prodded at ever since I can remember, but what I didn’t know was that I was actually a poked and prodded at individual even before my existence. Transplanted DNA is what they should have named me instead of Wang. I find my existence to be not as real or as wanted as others who were conceived naturally with both loving parents and even the idea of other loving parents adopting their children. It just seems unfair that my parents would make decisions for me before I was even born. The idea of someone wanting to create their child is absurd. Our bodies own process of getting rid of the bad genes is something we can not control. We can not begin to have the same instinct as our bodies. Allowing this to go on could jeopardize an individual’s identity and its remarkableness and how far is too far in parents decision making. This process will also affect the â€Å"designed baby† emotionally for the child may think they are not real in the sens e that they were created for selfish purposes. Altering an embryo's genetics affects the child physically and emotionally. As well as affecting the society as a whole in the long run. Designer babies, a term used by journalists, are described as â€Å"advanced reproductive technologies allowing parents and doctors to screen embryos for genetic disorders and for selecting healthy embryos† (Bionet). There are three ways that can be used to create this â€Å"designer baby†. â€Å"The simplest way to a designer child is human cloning: taking a cell from an adult and combining it with a human egg to make an identikit clone of the adult. This is the ultimate pedigree child with guaranteed genes [†¦] Another more difficult way to make designer people, or a super race, is to take sperm or eggs, or cells in a developing embryo, and add new genes to them. This is called germ cell alteration [†¦] A third way is to alter cells after birth. This is called somatic cell alteration. Here the effects will die out when the person dies, and will not be passed onto a second generation of designer babies† (Dixon). Parents make decisions for their children before they are even born. The unborn fetus is robbed of molding their own identity because their physical traits have been chosen for them indirectly. The child is artificial and unnatural. A science experiment preformed wrongfully, in hopes to create one’s self conscious idea of... ...hat fate can only be made possible by altering the traits that nature intended us to inherit. Thus putting wrongful thoughts of people’s views of what’s acceptable. When in reality everybody is different and that’s what gives a person an identity and if we all look the same then that would be a world of chaos and if you're not rich enough then you’re put to the side as â€Å"the ugly duckling†. Once we are capable of changing our child genetically the imperfect will not be accepted in a society of a â€Å"super human race† of intelligent, flawless, disease free people. websites where i got the quotes 1http://www.bionetonline.org/English/Content/db_cont1.htm â€Å"Advanced reproductive technologies allow parents and doctors to screen embryos for genetic disorders and select healthy embryos.† -definition 2http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/00000006DD57.htm Debating 'designer babies' Personal reproductive choices should not be a matter for legal regulation. by Ellie Lee 3http://www.reason.com/rb/rb030602.shtml helpful info for debate pro 4http://www.globalchange.com/designer.htm sex selection should not be allowed because one should love their child no matter what sex or appearance it may have.

King George Vi: the Real Kings Speech

Kimberly Wooten Professor Kathy Kile Speech 1010 November 6, 2012 The Real King’s Speech One man in history who gave a speech when the public’s faith was at an all-time low was King George VI. He had to step up and take the spot as king when it was not what he originally thought would happen. He suffered through hardship and troubles through his rein which some affected the way he was able to talk to his people. The speech he gave was not just given to a small audience but to his entire country. King George VI’s life was very interesting life which gave him the opportunity to give a very famous speech that affected the entire world.King George was born on December 14, 1895 in Norfolk, England. His full name is Albert Frederick Arthur Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. King George VI was often called Bertie or Albert by his family. He was the second son of King George V and the Duchess of York, Victoria May. King George VI did not have an easy childhood because of his mother†™s lack of affection and his father’s criticism. He developed a stammer at age 8 and also had to wear leg braces because of his knocked knees when he was young. He was a very shy and easily frighten child which also affected the rest of his life.He graduated from the Royal Naval Academy and went on to be a midshipman in the Royal Navy. After fighting in WWI he joined the Royal air force and became a pilot. He then went on to Trinity College but only stayed for one year because he then needed to fulfill his duties as the Duke of York. In 1923 he went on to marry Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, which had been a family friend since they were young. They had two children, Elizabeth, the oldest, and Margaret, the youngest. They were a close and happy family. His wife saw that he needed help with his stammer and found a great Australian therapist for him to see, Lionel Logue.After being with him and doing his exercises the king began to speak without a stammer. He was not supposed to be the one taking the throne after his father passed away, but it was supposed to be his brother. His brother wanted to marry his mistress and could not marry her if he took the throne so Albert took the throne. This was not the plan he wanted but he was crowned the king of the United Kingdoms and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth in 1937. King George VI was a supporter of the British Prime Minister who signed an agreement with Hitler, which was hoped to make sure there was no war with the Nazi Germany.Hitler then ignored the agreement and took aggressive action that made King George travel and make friends with the President at the time which was Franklin D. Roosevelt. On September 1939 Germany violated the agreement that was made with the Prime Minister and a war was declared. King George made a successful speech that declared the war in 1939. He announced the role that Britain would play in the act of war. After the war started, he and his wife stayed in London at the Buc kingham Palace even though the Germans were bombing (George). The government tried to relocate them to Canada.Queen Elizabeth had stated â€Å"I’m glad we’ve been bombed, now we can look the East End in the face. † (Farndale). King George and Queen Elizabeth went around to the cities that were bombed, visiting the troops and the survivors of the bombs. After the victory of the war the stress caught up with him and he had an arterial blockage which made Princess Elizabeth take on her royal duties. He was then diagnosed with lung cancer and had his left lung removed then he found out he also had arteriosclerosis. King George VI died on February 6, 1952 when he was 56 years old. His daughter then became Queen Elizabeth II.King George VI faced many problems in his life and one that made a very large impact on people was the speech he had to make declaring was with Germany (George). The King had to give a devastating speech on September 3, 1939. Hitler had gone again st an agreement that was made and Germany invaded Poland. After this, it was time to declare war. He had a hard time with his stammer throughout his life so his therapist helped him with it so he could complete this speech. His therapist was the only one in the room with the King while he gave his speech that was broadcasted live on the radio.The picture that shows him sitting at a desk giving the speech was actually staged and he really gave his speech in an anteroom standing (Farndale). His speech sounded great although there are many pauses he had to take to prevent him from stammering. Other than the pauses, he completed a great speech and spoke clear and with confidence. He was delivering a devastating speech and the devastation is able to be heard in his voice. While there is much devastation, he still helps give hope as he is giving his speech. The speech’s effect much more than just his country, it also affected the entire world(Crrisstobal).The speech had affected al l of Great Britain and it also affected the rest of the world. He was declaring war, which meant that his allies had to be with him in this time of devastation. The king told his people to embrace for hard times to come, for his country was at war. The speech gave his people a reason to come together and unite in this time of war. It also inspired them because it showed that they now have a leader they can look upon. The speech had a great effect on the rest of the world as well. As they went into war, the allies of Britain also had to help.As he completed this speech it showed he was a great leader to look upon but it also gave much terror to many people as he said they were going into war. All in all, King George VI went through hard times all his life. From when he was a young stammering boy with an unloving family, to a king leading his people through WWII. Although he gave many speeches being a king, the speech that had the most effect was the one he gave declaring war. He had no stammer and went through it great and ended strong. King George VI was a wonderful leader and did a great job delivering the real king’s speech.Works Cited Crrisstobal. â€Å"The Real King's Speech – King George VI – September 3, 1939. †Ã‚  YouTube. YouTube, 05 Feb. 2011. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. â€Å"Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth – a Peek into the past. †Ã‚  Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth – a Peek into the past. N. p. , 16 Jan. 2010. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. Farndale, Nigel. â€Å"The King's Speech: The Real Story. †Ã‚  Telegraph. co. uk. N. p. , 5 Jan. 2011. Web. â€Å"George VI Biography. †Ã‚  Bio. com. A&E Networks Television, 20`1. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. .

Repression in Russia in the period 1900-1929 Essay

Why did the rulers of Russia so often resort to repression in the period 1900-1929? Repression was used under both Nicholas 2 and the Bolsheviks to control the Russian population. The liberal methods employed preceding both governments (Alexander 2 and the Provisional Government respectively) failed completely and discouraged any other form of liberal or democratic controls. The strict extremist ideologies of both the Tsarist and Bolshevik regimes also necessitated violent repression to ensure total compliance. This was needed due to the major political upheavals taking place – the decline of Tsarism despite Nicholas’ determination to continue his autocratic rule and the rise of Bolshevism to replace it meant that both parties needed to take a very harsh line. This was exacerbated by the fact that neither party came to power with the ‘legitimate vote’ of the public and so faced strong opposition that they wished to eliminate. Conflict, in the form of Civil War and the Great War, was an apparent complication in both regimes. This caused additional economic disarray and social disruption, hindering the plans of the 2 major governments of this era. Consequently this encouraged the use of repression in an attempt to resurrect the country and increase their power. Further difficulties during this period were caused by Russia’s long term long problems, particularly the vast land area and a high percentage of distinct ethnic minorities causing a lack of cohesion and sense of national identity. Bad communications and retardation of industrialisation meant poor social conditions which led to vocal rebellious groups requiring violent put downs i.e. repression. Russia, at this time, appeared ungovernable without resorting to repression and dictation. Repression was seeded by the lack of an alternative available to Russian rulers at this time. The Bolsheviks were further discouraged from democracy by the failure of the Provincial Government after just 6 months in 1917. The refusal of this government to use repression was highlighted by some of the reforms they undertook – abolition of capital punishment and closure of the Okhrana (secret police) and the Cossacks. Lack of army support due to the Petrograd Soviet agreement made control harder as the problems left by the Tsar (economic collapse and rebellious minorities) could not be dealt with. The public began to realise that authority could be easily flouted without the threat of punishment. Consequently, Lenin realised that coercion was required to rule Russia and that repression through the Army could be achieved when his slogan ‘All power to the Soviet’ was realised. Alexander 2, grandfather to Nicholas 2, was seen as the ‘reforming Tsar’- mainly due to his emancipation of the serfs in 1861. He was assassinated by a party representing these very people at the 7th such attempt. Nicholas 2 realised (as the failure of the Provincial Government was to do for the Bolsheviks) that power was questioned when repression was not implemented. Although Lenin also used repression, the similarity in personalities between Nicholas 2 and Stalin meant that both used similar methods. Both were intensely paranoid about the public’s perception that they were weak. To disprove this, both resorted to violent repressive tactics. Repression under Lenin was more calculated – he talked of the ‘coercion’ needed for the ‘transition from capitalism to communism’. Both governments were autocratic and wished to impose extreme ideologies and therefore required total support which they believed was only achievable by quashing any opposition. Total control was to be achieved by the Tsar’s ‘divine right’ to have this and by the Bolshevik’s through their classless, one party state. This was shown when Lenin forcibly disbanded the constitution in 1918, because the Bolsheviks would not have had the majority vote they needed for the total control they sought. As a result Lenin became the leader of the only powerful party- the Communists. Later, Stalin increased his control through purges within his own government – ensuring his role as the absolute leader – reflecting the Tsar’s goal of omnipotence following the Fundamental Laws. The Tsar required repression of the peasantry (80% of the population) whereas the Bolshevik’s faced opposition from the middle and upper classes. Tsarism relied heavily on religion (the Russian Orthodox Church/ROC) to control the people whereas the Bolsheviks saw this as a threat. The ROC taught that the Tsar was ‘God on earth’ in an attempt to indoctrinate the peasantry to such an extent that they would do as he commanded. Important ministers were often associated with the Church e.g. Pobiedonotstev. After the downfall of Tsarism, Lenin proclaimed the Marxist theory that religion was ‘the opium of the people’ and proceeded to turn repression onto the church to rid Russia of this perceived powerful opponent to the communist system. Stalin continued the destruction of religion in Russia through the assassination of any cleric he felt had too much influence. The Tsar and the Bolsheviks both faced threatening opposition. The Tsar’s opponents ranged from the peasant-based Social Revolutionaries (who would later become the Bolsheviks opponents) to the Bolsheviks themselves – supported by the working class. The failure of the 1905 revolution after the intervention of the Okhrana and army showed that the Tsar could not have retained power without repression. The Okhrana were also used to rid Russia of revolutionaries – such as Lenin himself. The Bolsheviks shared the problems caused by the ethnic minorities and their wish for independence. However, The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk weakened this opposition for the Bolsheviks after it removed 25% of Russian land – mainly that housing the minorities. Both regimes faced a wide range of opposition, prompting repression to remove the greatest threats – such as the dissolution of the SR-dominated constitution in 1918. Lenin reduced the power of the elite by taking their property and institutions from them. Stalin continued and extended the use of repression – eliminating any minor threat, including members of the Communist Party in his ‘Great Purges’ Conflict encouraged the rulers during this period to resort to repression. The Tsar faced the Russo-Japanese war and the Great War during his reign. The Bolsheviks had to contend with a Civil War. In both cases, repression was used to evoke loyalty and force unification. The Cossacks and Ohkrana were fundamental to the suppression of objectors to the Tsar, as were the Bolshevik equivalents, the Cheka. The Cheka aided Bolshevik victory in the Civil War and were then used by Lenin to forcibly take grain for the soldiers under the Grain Requisition Act despite the distress caused to the peasants. The Tsar also used repression to keep Russia fighting in the Great War – including the silencing of anti-war parties and also opposition to the mandatory food rationing by a hungry people. Despite these efforts, war finally brought the downfall of Tsarism after mass desertion from the army effectively took away the last prop of the old regime. The Bolsheviks however, emerged successfully from the Civil War allowing them to consolidate their new-found power with the use of additional repression. Retarded Industrialisation was a long-term problem that is still felt by Russia today. The Tsar attempted to improve Russia’s industrial affluence whilst maintaining control by repressing the working classes to prevent them revolting. To do this, he banned trade unions and imprisoned the leaders. The Communists also attempted to improve Russia’s industrial situation- through the conversion from capitalism to communism. The Tsar sought support from other European countries whereas the Communists violently rejected this policy. This meant that the Communists required a greater level of forced labour (i.e. repression) in order to cope without this aid. Stalin hoped to develop Russia into a ‘superpower’ in his 5-year plans. This involved the use of the forced free labour of non-conformists who were imprisoned in labour camps. The Kulaks (wealthy peasants) were among those sent to such a camp. ‘Collectivisation’ was a re-introduction of the Grain Requisition and an attempt to revolutionise agriculture along Communist lines and resulted in starvation of the rural population. This repression of the peasantry was also evident in the Tsarist regime to prevent unrest. The long-term problems experienced by Russia at this time encouraged the use of repression as a means of control. The huge population spread over a vast land area meant that in addition to the communication problems caused by sheer size and the abundance of minority groups, it was impossible for any government to meet the demands made by all of the people. The Tsar attempted to deal with this through the enforcement of Russfication and sending the army to eliminate any protesters e.g. in Uzbekistan. The Bolsheviks also faced the minority opposition with violent repression – millions of Ukrainians were sent to forced labour camps by Stalin. Prejudice against ethnic groups was rife; anti-Semitism caused repression of Jews under both Tsarist and Bolshevic regimes. Although it can be said that the governments of Nicholas 2, Stalin and to a lesser extent Lenin were repressive by nature, the need for control via repression was inherent within the set up of Russia. Until the fall of communism in Russia in the late 20th century, it was clearly evident that the more lenient governments, such as that of Alexander 2 and Provisional Government were less successful than the more repressive ones although they were hardly given chance to do well, so quick were some to take their place at the first sign of weakness. This acted as an encouragement for the major governments between 1900-1929 to use the secret police, army and threat of imprisonment to deter opposition, repress the peasantry and enforce the ideologies of the government. Repression was imperative for both governments; the Tsarist to cling to power and the Communists to snatch it from them. Both had many unpopular economic, political and social reforms to pass. War highlighted the problems of the country and the presence of strong opposition against both governments. In the view of both it increased the need for repression to realign the economic and social structure. Under both regimes the cause and the effect of repression was the same; it resulted in the death or displacement of many. Unfortunately, it was just a prelude to the terror that was to be experienced during the ‘High-Stalinism’ of the 1930’s. During this decade, 7 million died, mostly after being sent to a labour camp for failing to conform to the Communist ideal of ‘collectivisation’.