A perspective on charity in the gospel of wealth a book by andrew carnegie Essay Example for Free

A perspective on charity in the gospel of wealth a book by andrew carnegie Essay Andrew Carnegie, who wrote The Gospel of Wealth, had a particular view on how society should correctly work. He believed that with the wealth of millionaires, that he could recreate society to think of the rich as â€Å"trustees† to provide money to the poor. Carnegie gave away most of his capital to projects he thought that benefitted the community. He built over 2,500 libraries, endowed many parks, and he even gave money to universities and other foundations he thought would â€Å"improve the race. †Ã‚   Although I respect what Carnegie did for our culture, if I were a billionaire, I would pay more attention to the dire needs of the poor because I believe that this kind of giving contributes more to the common good. Within the first few paragraphs of The Gospel of Wealth, Carnegie summarizes that throughout time, things have been revolutionized for the better and have created a better community for the world, but the problem seems to be the proper administration of capital, so that the ties between the rich and poor can continue in a balanced manner. Because of the wealth administration problem, the gap that has been made between the rich and poor has created a lot of tension between the two classes. Carnegie noticed, â€Å"The contrast between the palace of the millionaire and the cottage of the laborer with us to-day measures the change which has come with civilization† (486). While we humans owe the progress of material conditions to manufacturing and improvements, it has created a market for competition. From competition, inequality rises and Carnegie believes only talented men can rise above everyone else and make more capital. However, men who have the talent to make large amounts o f money can be the benefactors of society. This is where Carnegie notes that if they have a lot of money they don’t know what to do with, it can be used for the well-being of the race. Carnegie’s main focus was to solve the problem of how to administer money for the common good. He believed in helping mankind progress through philanthropy. Carnegie thought of three ways to distribute his surplus money: â€Å" It can be left to the families of the descendants, or it can be bequeathed for public purposes; or, finally, it can be administered during their lives by its possessors† (489). The amount of poverty in the world is constantly on the rise. While communism was all for equality, it wanted to change human nature. However, Carnegie believed, â€Å" It is criminal to waste our energies in endeavoring to uproot when all we can profitably or possibly accomplish is to bend the universal tree of humanity a little in the direction most favorable to the production of good fruit under existing circumstances† (489). With almost unlimited wealth, Carnegie can be seen as generous because he built many libraries. However, the conditions he created for his workers were not ideal. In an article, Was Andrew Carnegie Generous? written by Daniel Putman, Carnegie is criticized as not being fair to his workers, but his help among the world outweighs his worker’s conditions. For example, Putman states, â€Å"Utilitarians may well rejoice at the results of what Andrew Carnegie did and it is quite likely that the good he did over time outweighs what his workers had to experience. But Carnegies generosity is tempered not by his lack of genuine motivation, nor by his attitude toward workers, but by the very specific fact that much of what he gave away was not his to give†. In fact, Carnegie’s wealth was only capable for him to achieve before the Roosevelt/Wilson reforms. While Carnegie had dreams of creating a better society and providing culture to all, his confidence in poor people was slim and he once said, â€Å"the man of wealth thus becoming the mere agent and trustee for his poorer brethren, bringing to their service his superior wisdom, experience, and ability to administer, doing for them better than they would or could do for themselves† (493). I agree with Carnegie’s basic idea to create a better society by administering wealth among everyone, but I believe the money should be distributed to poorer people and their needs. For example, I would imitate many billionaires such as Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates, have paired up within the past few years to give away half of their fortunes to charitable causes either during their lifetimes or in their will. If I had their money, I would consider doing the same thing they are doing: The Giving Pledge (created by the three billionaires mentioned above), has helped with n umerous amounts of issues that plague today’s world. They have worked with providing vaccines, schools and even hospitals to those in South Africa who cannot afford to provide those things to their families. Another example of a charity I would donate to is ‘GiveDirectly’. The point of this charity is to give money to poor people in Kenya with no strings attached. It’s a simple charity because it’s economics 101: poor people will know what they need and if they’re given the money for it, they will most likely go out and buy it. This is an example of how when poor people are given a little help, they are most likely going to succeed by using that money as an investment in themselves. Heifer International is also another example of charity that I would donate too. In African countries, Heifer gives animals to poor families so they provide food and reliable income. They can collect dairy products such as milk, eggs and honey which can be traded or sold at a market. This sustainable income allows for families to build schools, agricultural opportunities and forms a community saving that funds small businesses. Although one can appreciate what Carnegie has done for the world by building libraries and such, he did not address providing needs for poor people other than if he gave them money, they would most likely not use it to leverage themselves in society. In today’s world, Carnegie’s ideas might look generous on paper, but there are other direct issues that need to be dealt with harshly. Many millionaires have pledged or have already spent billions in trying to provide basic needs to poor people of almost every country by building schools and providing medical assistance. Other charities have given the resources needed to help poor people. These charities allow open doors for individuals and communities who are struggling to get their foot in the door to help themselves. Charity is a just a small lending hand that gives poor people leverage as well as creating new opportunities that contribute to the common good. Works Cited Carnegie, Andrew. The Gospel of Wealth. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Writers. Ed.   Lee A. Jacobus. Boston: Bedford, 2013. 485-495.   Print. Putman, D. (2010).   WAS ANDREW CARNEGIE GENEROUS? THING, 9(26), 91-98. â€Å"World Hunger and Poverty Heifer Mission.† World Hunger and Poverty Heifer Mission. Np., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.

Interest Groups :: Political Special Interest Groups

Interest Groups Interest Group is defined as "an organized body of individuals who try to influence public policy." This system is designed so that interest groups would be an instrument of public influence on politics to create changes, but would not threaten the government much. Whether this is still the case or not is an important question that we must find out. Interest groups play many different roles in the American political system, such as representation, participation, education, and program monitoring. Representation is the function that we see most often and the function we automatically think of when we think of interest groups. Participation is another role that interest groups play in our government, which is when they facilitate and encourage the participation of their members in the political process. Interest groups also educate, by trying to inform both public officials and the public at large about matters of importance to them. Lobby groups also keep track of how programs are working in the field and try to persuade government to take action when problems become evident when they monitor programs. The traditional interest groups have been organized around some form of economic cause, be it corporate interests, associates, or unions. The number of business oriented lobbies has grown since the 1960s and continues to grow. Public-interest groups have also grown enormously since the 1960s. Liberal groups started the trend, but conservative groups are now just as common, although some groups are better represented through interest groups than others are. There are many ways that the groups can influence politics too. The increase in interest group activity has fragmented the political debate into little pockets of debates and have served to further erode the power of political parties, who try to make broad based appeals. PACs also give money to incumbents, which means that incumbents can accumulate large reelection campaign funds, that in result, discourages potential challengers. As a result, most incumbents win, not because they outspend their challengers, but because they keep good potential opponents out of the race. Conservatives are one of the big groups that influence politics and for many reasons.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conservative thinking has not only claimed the presidency; it has spread throughout our political and intellectual life and stands poised to become the dominant strain in American public policy. While the political ascent of conservatism has taken place in full public view, the intellectual transformation has for the most part occurred behind the scenes, in a network of think tanks whose efforts have been influential to an extent that only five years after President Reagan's election, begins to be clear.

Alternative Drink Industry Analysis

Alternative Drink industry analysis 1. Do a complete five-forces analysis of competition in the global alternative drink industry, then tell me which of the five competitive forces is strong, weak, and why. Especially in the force of rivalry (one of the 5 forces), you must identify the market size, growth rate, profit margins, what are the main categories in the alternative drink industry, who are the major competitors and their relative sizes, the competition scope, the main competition weapons) 2.Briefly identify 6 to 7 key success factors in the alternative drink industry 3. What are the other economic traits that are outside the industry but still can affect all competitors (for example, overall economy trend, long term innovation, globalization, maturity stage of the industry, relevant legislation, etc. )? Briefly explain how these factors can affect the industry. Notes: 1. —————————————â €”——- What are the strategically relevant components of the global and U.S. beverage industry macro-environment? How do the economic characteristics of the alternative beverage segment of the industry differ from that of other beverage categories? Explain. The strategically relevant components of the global and U. S. beverage industry macro-environment: †¢ Global beverage companies such as Coca Cola and PepsiCo had relied on such beverages to sustain in volume growth in mature markets where consumers were reducing their consumption of carbonated soft drinks. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and other beverage companies were intent on expanding the market for alternative beverages by introducing energy drinks, sports drinks, and vitamin drinks in more and more emerging international markets. †¢ Beverage producers had made various attempts at increasing the size of the market for alternative beverages by extending existing product lines and developing altogether new pro ducts. Expanding the market for alternatives beverages and increasing sales and market share, beverage producers also were forced to content with criticism from some that energy drinks, energy shots, and relaxation drinks presented health risks for consumers and that some producers’ strategies promoted reckless behavior, the primary concern of most producers of energy drinks, sports drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverages was how to best improve their competitive standing in the market place. Rapid growth in the category, coupled with premium prices and high profit margins made alternative beverages an important part of beverage companies’ lineup of brands. The Alternative Beverage Segment Help Companies to Sustain Volume Growth in Mature Markets Where Consumers Were Reducing Their Consumption of Carbonated Soft Drinks. Also the Alternative Beverage Industry Offered 2. What is competition like in the alternative beverage industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness and the potential profitability of new entrants?Competition from substitutes is substantial. There were many substitutes to alternative beverages such as tea, soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled water and tap water. Even though substitute products had a bigger market share in the US, consumers had tended to buy more alternative beverages. This change in customer preference had weakened the competitive power of substitute beverages. Convenience store, grocery store, and wholesale club buyers had substantial leverage in negotiating pricing and slotting fees with alternative beverage producers because of their large purchases.New brands with low market shares were most vulnerable to buyer leverage since shelf space was limited while top brands such as Red Bull were almost always assured of shelf space. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo were least vulnerable since they offered a wide var iety of beverages that convenience stores, grocery stores, and wholesale clubs wished to offer to consumers. As a result of this certain appeal, the two companies’ alternative beverage brands almost always found shelf space in retail stores. The bargaining power and leverage of suppliers was the weakest competitive force.Many suppliers for alternative beverage ingredients and they fight with the others to sell their products. Packaging is readily available from many suppliers and is like a commodity. However, some rare ingredients providers had a moderate amount of leverage in negotiations with energy drink producers. Additionally, the producers of alternative beverages are important customers of suppliers and buy in large quantities. The threat of new brands varies by market maturity of each alternative beverage category. It has low threat for mature categories and moderate to strong in young categories.During the early stages of developing a category, when famous brand lead ers had not been established, the threat of entry in alternative beverage categories remained strong. As a result, entrepreneurs launching new beverages with novel formulas or well-developed image campaigns could quickly gain market share among consumers. However, as the category matured, consumer preferences developed and shaped retailers’ purchasing decisions. Once the category had established, its brand leaders, it became much more difficult for new entrants to gain shelf space in convenience stores, supermarkets, and wholesale clubs.Therefore, in 2010, the threat of entry should be lower for all types of alternative beverages except energy shots and relaxation drinks. The competence among sellers of alternative beverage could be considered as the strongest competitive force. Among the sellers of energy drinks and other alternative beverages, competition is so strong and will grow stronger each year. Competition among major brands centers primarily on brand image, an appea ling taste, attractive packaging, new product R&D, sales promotions and endorsements, and gaining better access to shelf space and strengthening distribution capabilities.As for 2010, there was no evidence of strong price competition in any of the alternative beverage categories, which makes it difficult to argue that competitive rivalry is fierce or brutal. Factors that increase the strength of competitive rivalry included efforts on the part of industry rivals to expand the number and types of alternative beverages in their product lines, low switching costs on the part of consumers, active and aggressive efforts on the part of sellers to establish consumer brand loyalty, and strong emphasis on advertising, sales promotions, and endorsements.MLA â€Å"Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drink, and Vitamin-Enhanced. † StudyMode. com. 28 Sep. 2011. . â€Å"Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drink, and Vitamin-Enhanced. † StudyMode. com. September 28, 2011. http://ww w. studymode. com/essays/Competition-In-Energy-Drinks-Sports-Drink-788697. html.

The New Year Festival in Vietnam and in America - 2153 Words

The New Year Festival in Vietnam and in America Introduction Although different countries in the world have different festivals and holidays, there is a momentous event that annually they all eagerly long for. It is the New Year festival which marks the pivotal point of a new period of time with the pure and pristine beginning for individuals. However, each nation has its own traditions, customs and values partly reflected in the celebration of the New Year festival. The ways of holding the festival in Viet Nam and in America are of no exception. The two countries belonging to two geographical locations and cultures share some certain similarities but mostly they show many obvious distinctions in the New Year celebration. Body†¦show more content†¦America, on the other hand, belongs to the industrial culture with rapid pace of life. Thus, they have less time to spend for the holiday With Vietnamese and American, the New Year festival gains different special significance. The Vietnamese New Year celebration is more complex and charged with more symbolic meanings than the American one. Vietnamese people strongly believe that the New Year demonstrates connections, renewals, thanksgivings and hopes. New Year traditions maintain linkages between people of living generations in the real world with the dead in the spiritual world. The connections for every family at this time are not only the gathering of all the relatives living far from the hometown but also the reunions with the spirit of ancestors. This belief presents a part of Vietnamese national identity and exerts considerable influence on many Vietnamese people. They usually return to their family during Tet. Some visit the graves of thei r parents and grandparents, removing weeds and worshiping to invoke the souls of the dead to visit the family home. American, however, does not take the New Year festival as serious as Vietnamese people. 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