Friday, January 24, 2020

World War I: The Failure of The Schlieffen Plan Essays -- von Schlieff

In 1914, the war to end all wars began; it would later become known as World War 1. Every major power in Europe became involved in it at some point. What all these powers had were individual war plans which stated how they would rise above their enemies and claim victory. Unfortunately for some, not all of these plans were created equally. Unlike the other powers of Europe, Germany had created only one plan known as the Schlieffen Plan. The Schlieffen Plan had been created to be used as the perfect tool to winning a war, unfortunately the plan had been born from the arrogance of Alfred von Schlieffen and later altered by Helmuth von Moltke. Due to how the Schlieffen Plan was both created and altered, both von Schlieffen and von Moltke were doomed to bring Germany only failure in a multi-front war. In 1888, Kaiser Wilhelm II ascended to the throne of the German Empire and began a new era of foreign affair policies for Germany. Two years later, in 1890, Wilhelm dismissed the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck had united the various nineteenth century German Kingdoms and created the German Empire of the late nineteenth century. Bismarck had also helped to forge various alliances throughout Europe in order to maintain the German political and military position favorable with numbers. In less than two decades time, Wilhelm had essentially destroyed most of the alliance systems Bismarck had created and put Germany in a position where it was both allied with the weaker major powers of Europe and at a disadvantage when it came to numbers. Wilhelm went from having France, the enemy of Germany in the nineteenth century, isolated to having Germany nearly isolated politically and surrounded by enemies. In 1904, the altered d... ... attrition, 1870-1916. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kennedy, Paul M. 1979. The War plans of the great powers, 1880-1914. London: Allen & Unwin. Ritter, Gerhard. 1979. The Schlieffen plan: critique of a myth. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Bodleian Libray. â€Å"Entente Cordiale.† Last Accessed October 6. 2011. http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/projects/entente/entente.html Fawcett, Bill. 2006. How to lose a battle: foolish plans and great military blunders. New York: Harper. Mombauer, Annika. 2001. Helmuth von Moltke and the origins of the First World War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Ousby, Ian. 2002. The road to Verdun: World War I's most momentous battle and the folly of nationalism. New York: Doubleday. Shapiro, Seymour, and Gerhard Ritter. 1959. "The Schlieffen Plan". Military Affairs. 23 (2): 107-108.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Swot Analysis of Meru

SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths: Meru Cabs was one of the first companies to launch metered â€Å"Radio cabs† in India under its brand â€Å"Meru. † Meru has captured the first mover advantage in this segment. Meru is very famous among its customers so much that when people think of air conditioned cabs they associate it with Meru. Meru cabs offer good training to their drivers so that they can maintain the Meru level of consumer service. They also regularly maintain their cabs which make it neat and clean and so commuters enjoy their ride.They have digital tampered proof meters so there is no chance cheating. Weakness: Meru cabs largely depend on technology right from the moment to pick up customers to drop them. They use GPRS system to track the customers and to drop them to their location and also to show them the real estimated time. So if there is any server failure or breakdown it becomes difficult for the cabs to function smoothly. Usually Meru cabs are available when cu stomers call for it. So there is time lag between the call time and actual ride. They are not as easily available as local non air conditioned cabs.People usually prefer meru cabs for long distance travel. Opportunity: Meru so far is catering only to major metro cities. They should consider upon extending their services to tier two cities because these cities are growing rapidly. They can also consider upon renting cars without chauffeurs. They can also update their customers with real flight time schedules through Infotainment services. Meru should also think for strategic partnership with various travels portals so that they can extend services like pick up and drop to customers to their hotels and so on. Threats:Although Meru was the first player in this segment; it is now facing stiff competition from players like Tab Cab, Mega Cabs and so on. There is very less level of differentiation among all these cabs. So this is eroding the market share of Meru. Air conditioned buses star ted by BEST in Mumbai is also competition to Meru cabs. Driver unions also prove to be a problem many a times. Government regulations and sudden changes in policies is also a threat. CRM of Meru to retain customers * No additional or hidden charges because of tamper free meters * Printed receipts produced at the end of every trip In case of any complaints, feedback etc. , passengers can call Customer Service Center at 44224422 * Lost and found belongings due to trustworthy drivers * Usage of clean green fuel because it uses LPG and CNG cars now a days to reduce pollution * Thoroughly trained Chauffeurs in a smart MERU uniform, fluent in English and Hindi and regional languages * Users are encouraged to make profiles on the website for faster and easier bookings next time * Round the clock availability of cabs backed by a location tracking GPS – based dispatch technology and a 24Ãâ€"7 Customer Service Center.This means a quicker pickup and faster response time to call for a c ab. * Tamper-proof digital cab meters, integrated with the GPS-system to ensure that every fare is tracked, thereby ruling out any possibility of overcharging by the driver. * Ability to track the location of the cab ‘real-time’ through the GPS technology * Emergency security features installed in the taxi for complete safety, including display of our Customer Service Center numbers inside each cab – provides security in case of an emergency-PANIC BUTTON BENEFITS OF CRM * Customer segmentation Market analytics like records of customer profiles, profile, payment history etc. * Generation of accurate leads and SMS bursts that target only the right customers based on their segmentation is possible * First time retention has increased from 40 % to more than 90 % * Customized and simplified bill formats, payment collection through cards * Better value added services were provided * It facilitated knowledge sharing amongst employees * Option of booking a cab in less th an 60 seconds * Reduced cost of customer acquisition * Has resulted in savings because of fewer calls

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Analysis Of Homer s The Odyssey - 995 Words

While there are many scenes in the Odyssey which fall under the category of â€Å"moments of recognition† there seems to be a general structure to each scene. At first Odysseus tests the person’s loyalty by listening to them and determining whether they hold sympathetic views towards the suitors and whether they wanted him to return to his home. The next phase is a phase of deception in which Odysseus tells a tale to hide his true identity. This is followed by a scene of him foretelling the future which holds that Odysseus will in fact come back sometime in the future. The final section then is obviously the final recognition in which Odysseus revels his true identity to the people he encounters. The first scene of recognition takes place in book 12 when Odysseus finally arrives at the shores of Ithaca and speaks to Athena in disguise as a young boy who was a sheep herdsman PAGE 204. After Odysseus tells a tale about being an exile who killed Orsilochos, Athena reveals her identity and gives him order on how to enter Ithaca without being noticed or succumbing to the suitors. It is important to note that this is the first recognition scene in which Odysseus assumes his real identity, although he does not have to tell Athena since she obviously knows his true identity and can be considered a moment of recognition of Athena by Odysseus. It is crucial that Athena is a key player in this moment of recognition because she has been the God that has favored him and helped him reachShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey By Homer1202 Words   |  5 Pagescoping with the idea of losing his father and letting others to rule Ithaca. It is noticeable from the beginning of The Odyssey, written by Homer that Telemachus finds himself in a complicated situation where his life is seen to be in danger. He is a character of being distance from people. The idea of Telemachus becoming his own father, threatens suitor’s control in Ithaca. Homer describes Tel emachus as a teenager who has not found himself and is on a mission to become an adult as his father. TelemachusRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey By Homer1095 Words   |  5 Pagesused in Homer’s Odyssey is the digression. The digression is departure from the main storyline that does not alter the action of the story, but adds a layer of sentimental content to the plot which usually helps underscore themes central to the story. The digressions in the Odyssey are meticulously written with great attention to detail just like the rest of the epic, and they truly help readers grasp the important aspects of the story. The liberal use of digression in the Odyssey helps build a vividRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey By Homer2018 Words   |  9 PagesThe Odyssey by Homer is more light in tone than the Iliad, of the same author: The good wins while the evil is punished. Even though the gods are still strict, the relationship between Odysseus and Athena is a more sincere and eq ual a relationship than between God and Man in the Iliad. Odysseus is distinguished not only by his bravery, but largely by his intellect and cunning. He is the type of resourceful man whom never gives up, thinks of the causes, is reverent and never gives in. The Odyssey isRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey, By Homer915 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout the Odyssey, the hero, Odysseus is portrayed in two different and contradicting lights: the wise hero and the capricious leader blinded by his own pride. The epic writer, Homer, embodies the theme of hubris throughout Odysseus’ journey home. The idea of hubris, a trait of excessive pride, significantly develops personalities of characters within The Odyssey, and Homer ultimately creates a statement about excessive pride. The dual portrayal of Odysseus leads the reader to ultimatelyRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey By Homer Essay1479 Words   |  6 Pages The word â€Å"Family†, according to Merriam Webster, is thought to be a group of people brought together by common affiliation. The same cannot be said for the culture in the Odyssey by Homer. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is trying to get back home from fighting in the Trojan War. He has been away from home for almost 20 years longing to just be reunited with his kinfolk. Along the way, he comes across many obstacles that hinders him from reaching his home and family in in Ithaca. Luckily, the memoriesRead MoreAnalysis Of Odyssey By Homer s Odyssey2253 Words   |  10 Pagesand Midwifery Council, 2006). The literature surrounding the subject of mentorship is vast and fails to provide a single definition, however the terms used are often similar. Colley (2000) writes that the word mentor originated in Homer’s poem ‘Odyssey’ in which the character oversees the development of Telemachus. Usually mentoring describes the process of an experienced team member using their skills and knowledge to educate and develop a junior or less skilled co-worker (Chartered Institute ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey 1483 Words   |  6 PagesViolence in The Odyssey Violence in Literature can take any form, whether it be natural disaster like and earthquake or a human based disaster like war (Campbell). In Homer’s The Odyssey both types are found†¦ whether it’s Odysseus’s hardships like making it home or dealing with the wrath of the god Poseidon. Every violent scene has its own reasons, some are more reasonable than others. For instance, the gods were angered by the disobedience of the mortals, this is more reasonable than the killingRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey 795 Words   |  4 Pages Odysseus Epic Hero In the Epic, â€Å"The Odyssey, spoken by Homer, conveys a heroic tale of an epic hero named, Odysseus, who faces many challenges as he sails to get home. One of the tasks Odysseus faces is, The Sirens, who challenge Odysseus s will power. Another challenge Odysseus encounters is, â€Å"The Cyclops, who torments and slaughters some of Odysseus s men due to his curiosity. One of the hardest threats he had to confront was, â€Å"The Land ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey1636 Words   |  7 PagesGreek society, Homer’s The Odyssey provides a detailed insight into the values of this intricate culture. In particular, this epic discusses the ways in which the deathless gods influence the fates of the mortals. The overall impact of the gods’ power is the mental straining that emerges from the unrelenting conflict of man versus immortal. Likewise, the actions and misfortunes of others also catalyze this extremely significant and powerful mental battle. Homerâ€⠄¢s The Odyssey reveals the values of ancientRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey 1128 Words   |  5 Pages The Odyssey shows a lot of different stereotypes for women throughout the book, taking action to get what they want. Odysseus is trying to get back home after ten long years since the fall of troy, and his son is going out to find him. Throughout the book Odysseus meets lots of woman who vary in personality. He meets woman with the stereotypes: â€Å"mantis†- dominant, eats its mate, destroys to gain power, feared by many. â€Å"Damsel in distress†- persecuted maiden, woman placed in a dire predicament requires